Automated detection of events in content can be performed using regions of information associated with various user interface or display elements. Certain elements can be indicative of a type of event, and regions associated with these elements can be analyzed on a per-frame basis. If one of these primary regions shows a state or transition that is indicative of one of these events, one or more secondary regions can be analyzed as well to attempt to verify whether that event occurred, as well as whether that event qualifies for selection for additional use. Selected events can be used for purposes such as to generate highlight montages, training videos, or user profiles. These events may be positioned at different layers of an event hierarchy, where child regions are only analyzed for frames where a parent region is indicative of a type of event.