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The cohort, in motion
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Think Aloud Protocol · Elite Valorant esports
What does elite cognition look likeinside a tactical FPS?
Eight elite Valorant players talked through their thoughts mid-match. We mapped where their attention went, when it shifted, and what separated them from each other.
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Elite players
Radiant + Immortal tiers, the top of the player base
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Coded segments
Each one a fragment of think-aloud commentary, parsed and categorised
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Live-play rounds
Across 241 engagements (the unit of analysis)
Novice cohort in data analysis · the same protocol applied to sub-elite players. First results expected mid-May 2026.
Six ways in
Pick a lens.
Visual walkthrough
Anatomy of an elite round.
Seven moments, narrated. Watch what happens to the cohort's cognition during the buy phase, walking into a fight, mid-fight (it goes silent), and the rebuild that follows.
Walk through a round →Find your match
What kind of FPS thinker are you?
Six quick questions, then we'll tell you which of the eight elite signatures you most resemble. Built directly from the cohort's parent-share profiles.
Take the quizGet involved
Want to contribute to the next study?
We're building a self-think-aloud tool that lets esports players record their own sessions. Drop your email to register interest, and we'll reach out when early access opens.
Register interest →Built from a Think Aloud Protocol study of elite Valorant players. How the data was collected →
A follow-up study extending the cohort to novice and sub-elite players is currently in data analysis, with first results expected mid-May 2026 — the first elite-vs-novice cognition comparison sitting on the same coding framework.