Zooming in on Decision Making in Esports: Exploring the Perceptions of Expert Players and Coaches

Decision making has shown to be among the most significant cognitive processes that differentiate between higher and lower skilled athletes when tested in representative designs. In this study, we focused on capturing the experience of experts from one of the most prominent esports, League of Legends (LoL), as it is characterized by great cognitive and motor demands. We aimed to better understand the role of expert LoL players' cognitive and motor decision-making processes by conducting semistructured interviews with five expert LoL players (n = 5; M-age = 20.20, SDage = 2.95) and three coaches (n = 3; M-age = 24.67, SDage = 3.21). Aligning with an interpretivist paradigm, four themes were constructed through reflexive thematic analysis: (a) the chronological structure, outlining how decision making evolves from pregame choices to adaptive in-game decisions; (b) navigating the decision-making process, emphasizing systematic practices, the role of experience, and intuition for performance enhancement; (c) individual fine motor actions, highlighting the role of precise fine motor execution in fast-paced, dynamic gameplay; and (d) the dynamic interplay between game knowledge and cognitive functions, showcasing how strategic mastery and cognitive skills help players navigate the complex esport environment. This article offers novel theoretical and methodological insights to guide future research programs, emphasizing the integration of advanced technological tools and comprehensive game data sets to deepen the understanding of cognitive and motor decision-making processes in LoL, thereby contributing to advancing the field of esports performance.