L33t or N00b?: How Player Skill Alters the Effects of Network Latency on First Person Shooter Game Players

Game players generally want low network latency to maximize their chances of winning -- in general, the lower the network latency, the less time between a player's action and the intended outcome. But how much network latency affects players with different levels of skill is not known. This paper presents results from a 36-person user study that evaluates the impact of network latencies on Counter-strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), with skilled FPS game players divided into two groups -- one group with extensive CS:GO experience and the other not. Analysis of the results shows that network latency impacts higher-skill players more than lower-skill players, with higher-skill players suffering greater score, accuracy and Quality of Experience degradations than do the lower-skill players for the same network latency.