Statistics on PUBG
How to go deeper than basic KDA.
Every time you’re given player stats during a tournament, you almost always hear about kills and damages. In my opinion, it’s an “entertainment” bias that doesn’t always reflect the reality of the game.
Don’t get me wrong, the more you deal damages, the more you’re likely to get kills. And the more kills you have, the more points you have. That’s what matters in the end when you’re looking at the leaderboard.
However, having such short-sighted reasoning overshadows the complexity of the game, which is a reason why PUBG managed to keep a part of its community so far.
In today’s article, I’ll introduce you to additional metrics you could consider evaluating a player’s performance.
Grenade damage
I’ve already covered this topic in a previous article. Good use of grenades is what I believe to be a primordial skill. Being able to get advantages consistently thanks to precise grenades is one of the first reasons you’ll achieve good damages and kills score.
Damage dealt/kill
Huge damages dealt can be a sexy stat. However, it’s impossible to judge a player based on this only one number because you have to answer the question: how did he get that much?
Did he get gifted and shot freely for the entire match? Did he shoot instead of taking care of his actual priorities? Did he get damages on players he couldn’t knock (and flush) in the first place?
Then, you start realizing you have a lot of “unhealthy” ways to have an excellent damages score. That’s why I prefer to use damage dealt per kill ratio: you don’t minimize the performance of a player, but you make sure he concretizes his damages.
Damage dealt/damage taken
With similar reasoning to my previous point, this metric can be used to understand your ability to create low-risk/high reward situations where you’ll be able to gather points without risking your life back.
Kill/knock ratio
Finally and still with the same reasoning, there is also the kill/knock ratio that materializes your ability to secure your points.
Time survived
Battle Royale genre is supposed to be about your ability to survive. Consequently, the amount of time you spend alive is an excellent metric. It doesn’t only reflect your ability to claim placement points, but it also reflects your ability to make the best use of your time when combined with other stats:
- Combined with heals used: how many damages can I soak without giving up my life, which is also a good indicator of your understanding of the game,
- Combined with kills: how much value can I get out of my life in terms of points.
TWR
I can’t finish this article without talking about TWR, also known as Twire Weight Rating, or Twire Score. Even if the exact formula is still a secret, the goal of this metric created by Twire (twire.gg) is to give an overall rating of a player’s performance during a tournament.
I believe it’s a healthy way to interest people in other stats than KDA, but keeping a value viewers (and players) can compare easily.
However, I think a “community-based” rating would have even more weight as a long-term reference. Engaging with players, casters, coaches, analysts, and coming up with a formula a majority of people would agree on could help Twire consolidate their rating as THE reference.
No matter how familiar you’re with competitive PUBG, this article hopefully widens your mind about statistics, and what they can say about a player.
A player's performance, from a coaching perspective, is even more complex than the numbers you can have access to. Qualities such as dedication and work ethic, for example, can’t be measured, but play an immense role when it comes to success.
Maxime “Znooper” GONY
