Better Scores and Different Strategies: How Task Diagrams Change Rocket League Esports Training

Esports are rapidly growing, yet evidence-based training approaches remain limited. Task diagrams are often used with other cognitive task analysis methods to develop training objectives. In this paper, we evaluated their use as a standalone method for developing esport training. Using task diagram interviews with expert Rocket League players, we developed a new training approach informed by the ShadowBox method (Study 1). In a randomized-controlled experiment ( n  = 59), we compared players who watched the task-diagram-informed ShadowBox Training video with players who watched an expert gameplay video in the control condition (Study 2). Players in the ShadowBox condition improved their game scores by approximately 100 points, while those in the control condition showed limited change, with fewer than 11 points. The task diagram-informed training was rated as easier to understand and implement. Qualitative analysis of self-reported gameplay strategies revealed additional differences in training takeaways. Implications for esports training are discussed.