Nobody likes to lose. Especially gamers. But unlike other sports or activities, video games aren’t conducive to practice.
Sure, you could play Destiny 2 until your thumbs bleed. But when it comes to fine tuning — maybe you’re slow to react to enemies on the top left side of the map, for example — video games don’t offer the environment to practice, practice, practice!
That’s where Statespace, a new Expa-backed startup launching out of stealth, comes into play.
Today, Statespace is launching a private beta of its first product Aim Lab, a new tool that will let users practice their skills in FPS games.
While statistics like a Kill/Death ratio and points-per-minute are useful in measuring a player’s overall effectiveness at a certain game, it doesn’t help identify the finer skills that that player needs to focus in on and improve. And the games themselves don’t provide the right environment to focus in on a single skill.
Statespace, created by neuroscientists from New York University, lets users play a game within a dulled-down FPS map environment and get measurements on things like accuracy, reaction time, and perception.
Anyone who watches eSports knows that the difference between winning and losing comes down to a one or two percent difference in skill level, as well as strategic experience and execution.
Statespace wants to provide pro gamers, coaches, team owners, college and pro recruiters, the average player the chance to identify their weaknesses and improve upon them through focused training.
Aim Lab will measure these skills, and players’ vision, decision-making and hand-eye coordination, and then use AI to tailor the training exercises for maximum improvements.
For now, Aim Lab is going to be released as a private beta on Steam with a beta coming to Xbox soon. From there, the company will continue adding map experiences that mimic maps in real FPS games to help with depth perception and other factors related to map knowledge.
From there, the company will expand its suite of tools to provide better data and insights to esports teams, colleges, and even publishers.
Cofounder Dr. Jay Fuller explained to TechCrunch that one of the biggest problems in games right now is match making. Looking at baseline statistics like K/D and team wins for matchmaking often results in lop-sided teams. With Statespace integration, users can be matched with teams that suit their skill level and even with players who are stronger at certain skills, to make a more comprehensive and balanced team.
The closed beta for Aim Lab launches today. You can request access here.
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