E-sports Club INSOMNIA Launches INSxLAB, a New Project to Scientifically Analyze Player Performance in Collaboration with the University of Tokyo and Other Research Institutions

INS Inc. (Headquarters: Tokyo, Representative Director: Sota Motohashi), which operates the professional e-sports team "INSOMNIA," has announced the launch of "INSxLAB," a research project aimed at improving the performance and maintaining the physical and mental health of e-sports players, in collaboration with multiple domestic university research institutions, including the University of Tokyo.

This project introduces cutting-edge scientific approaches to e-sports training, which has often relied on empirical rules and intuition in the past. It aims to establish innovative methods to maximize the potential of players.

Background of the Project Launch

E-sports has seen rapid growth domestically and internationally in recent years; however, there are still many unexplored scientific areas regarding the physical and mental burden placed on top players and the brain mechanisms that support millisecond-level decision-making.

INSOMNIA believes that integrating specialized knowledge from fields such as medicine, cognitive science, and data science is essential to create an environment where players can consistently exhibit peak performance over the long term. Therefore, they have partnered with multiple universities and researchers, including the University of Tokyo, the leading research institution in Japan, to conduct joint research as a "project to scientifically acquire the reproducibility of victory."

Main Research Themes of "INSxLAB"

As the starting point of this project, they will integrate the specialized knowledge of the participating university research institutions and promote joint research primarily in the following two areas.

1. Visualization of competitive ability and construction of a development model based on a cognitive science approach (Joint research team of Kochi University of Technology and the University of Tokyo, Mr. Jeong)

By unraveling the mechanisms of "outstanding performance" in e-sports from the perspectives of brain science and cognitive science, the goal is to build a scientific foundation for player development and evaluation.

Analysis of cognitive processes during gameplay: By comprehensively measuring and analyzing data such as players' line of sight and concentration states during matches, they will investigate the relationship between the speed and accuracy of decision-making.

Development of next-generation training based on scientific data: Based on the extracted data, they will establish specialized ability-improvement methods tailored to players' challenges. They are looking to develop a new, next-generation player development and evaluation system that goes beyond conventional in-game evaluations.

Measurement of concentration state during gameplay by Mr. Jeong

2. E-sports conditioning research utilizing biometric data: Mr. Yo Hiramatsu (Acupuncturist / Keio University Graduate School of Media Design Doctoral Program)

By quantitatively and qualitatively grasping the physical condition of professional e-sports athletes, the aim is to improve lifestyle habits, provide physical care, and establish recovery methods to maximize performance.

Multifaceted tracking of lifestyle data: By acquiring and analyzing lifelogs in daily life, such as players' sleep status and activity levels, they will visualize the impact of daily lifestyle habits on in-game performance and team communication.

Construction of e-sports-specific conditioning methods: Utilizing biometric and performance data, they will objectively grasp the condition of players. Based on this, they will introduce optimized physical care and recovery methods for individual players, as well as acupuncture treatment as needed, aiming to build an athlete support system capable of long-term success from the perspectives of both disease prevention and conditioning.

A player belonging to the VALORANT division receiving treatment from Mr. Hiramatsu

Environmental test for measuring muscle condition through mouse operation

They will continue to expand the scope of joint research partners in the future. They welcome contact from any interested research institutions.

Comments from Stakeholders

Comment from Sota Motohashi, Representative Director of INS Inc.:

"For e-sports to develop as a true athletic competition, the power of science is essential. I am very proud to launch 'INSxLAB' with such wonderful research institutions this time. Through this project, we will not only strengthen our affiliated players but also contribute to the healthy development of the entire e-sports industry and the nurturing of future players."

Comment from Mr. Inhyeok Jeong, Representative of the Joint Research Team of Kochi University of Technology and the University of Tokyo:

"E-sports is a highly interesting subject from the perspective of human science, requiring advanced cognitive abilities, instantaneous motor control, and a resilient mentality. Therefore, by using measurement and training technologies based on science, we aim to uncover the roots of players' excellent competitive abilities, as well as further improve their capabilities and extend their competitive lifespans. By combining the on-site challenges and real data possessed by INSOMNIA with our research knowledge, we expect to generate new academic discoveries and outcomes that lead to social implementation."

Acupuncturist / Keio...