Esports
Esports, or competitive video gaming, is a global phenomenon with a fast-growing fan-base and significant year on year revenue growth. With traditional sport participation currently facing many challenges, esports presents both new challenges but also new opportunities for sport.
Key messages
It is estimated that 5.5 million Australians play video games. Australian esports revenue was A$6million in 2020, likely to grow to A$16million by 2025. When compared to the national participation levels—age 15+—of cycling (2.4million) or swimming (3.1million) the market size of esports becomes more clear.
While esports are increasingly recognised by specific countries internationally, they are not currently recognised by the International Olympic Committee or the Australian Sports Commission.
The lack of an international governing body for esports makes the identification and regulation of integrity issues—e.g. doping, exploitation, gender inequality, harassment and behavioural issues, match fixing/corruption, and age appropriateness of games—challenging.
Background
Esports (electronic sports) is a collective term used to describe organised, competitive, video gaming, particularly professional gaming, which can be viewed by an audience.
What are esports?
Esports (electronic sports) is a collective term used to describe organised, competitive, video gaming, particularly professional gaming, which can be viewed by an audience. The International Esports Federation (IESF) defines it as ‘a competitive sport where gamers use their physical and mental abilities to compete in various games in a virtual, electronic environment.’
For comparison, the Australian National Sport and Active Recreation Policy Framework (2011) defined (traditional) sport as: A human activity capable of achieving a result requiring physical exertion and/or physical skill which, by its nature and organisation, is competitive and is generally accepted as being a sport.
Esport advocates argue that it meets many of the criteria for traditional sport recognition. They are physical (require skill/fine motor control); competitive (have winners and losers within detailed rules and regulations); and, organised (tournaments, national and international organising bodies). While there are some clear similarities between the esports and sport definitions, the ‘physical exertion’ component, and the explicitly violent nature of many popular games, appear to be the key differences between esports and sport.
Not every video game is considered an esport (e.g. the Sims). Examples of types of esport games include:
- Multi-player online battle arena — player controlling a single character in a team that must destroy the opposition team’s main building;
- Real-time strategy — player building an army by constructing buildings, and developing units, in order to gain dominance over a map and defeat other player’s armies;
- First person shooter — players taking part in a firefight across a map;
- Fighting — two players controlling characters in close combat action;
- Sports — based on traditional sports e.g. FIFA and NBA.
A new, emerging genre is simulated sports and/or ‘fitness gaming’ (e.g. Zwift). These genres replicates sport and physical activity on a digital platform, where participants compete or train with an online community.
Simulated sports
Simulated sport is the virtual representation of a physical activity that requires physical exertion and/or skill for participation. Advancements have been seen where indoor trainers (e.g. treadmills, bikes, rowers) are used as a mechanism to integrate into a virtual platform.
These platforms allow for physical activity outcomes to be achieved, and remove barriers to participation, allowing for greater consumer control and new entry points. Online platforms also offer new benefits in presenting a scalable model and the diversification of revenue.
Zwift is an example of a mature platform that enables cyclists and runners to train, interact and compete in a virtual environment. Currently Zwift has over one million users in over 150 countries and a growing number of community and professional leagues.
In 2019, Zwift announced a $US120 million investment to become an esport and in May it partnered with the Giro d’Italia for ‘Zwifters’ to participate in a stage of the race, competing with professional cyclists on an exact replica of the course.
In November 2020, AusCycling announced its partnership with Zwift. The partnership includes events and exclusive rides for AusCycling members, the continuation of the National Racing Series, the addition of the National Junior Racing Series, mountain bike events and the addition of Masters and Graded races. AusCycling will also offer exclusive monthly rides with members of the Australian Cycling Team.
Other sports seeing a surge in development are:
- Golf with E6 CONNECT; a gaming engine built to scale and offering cross-platform virtual golf competition. This includes access to courses, mini games, skills combines and training aids.
- Rowing with LiveRowing; connecting the Concept2 Rowing Machine to a digital network. The LiveRowing App takes control of the Concept2 Performance Monitor, which enables training, workout challenges and competitions with friends. LiveRowing is endorsed by British Rowing and Sport England.
Motor sport has also adopted simulated platforms for driver training and race preparation with Formula 1 drivers practising on replicas of each formal race circuit. Formula 1 has also recognised the broader value of simulated driving for grass roots development and talent identification.
In 2018 the McLaren F1 racing team launched its ‘Shadow Project’ inviting drivers in the simulated world to compete in a global racing competition. The eventual winner of the competition was tested to identify transferrable skills to real-world driving – the conclusion was 85% of skills were transferrable. McLaren have identified simulated driving as the new market for grass roots driving and pathway to competitive racing in the real world. This potentially opens up a new market for participants in countries such as India and China where the usual cost of grassroots racing, through go-carting is prohibitive
Fitness gaming
Fitness gaming is not a new concept and gained significant popularity through the Nintendo Wii games. Wii introduced a platform in which ‘gamers’ could be physically active whilst participating in computer-based games, many of which were based on traditional sport. The Wii Fit product sold over 18 million units in the 18 months following its launch.
With enhancements in gaming technology and the introduction of augmented and virtual reality, fitness gaming is now more sophisticated and interactive. Gamers can now be immersed into a virtual world, combining a physically active environment with a digital one. This has led to the emergence of new esports games.
Products such as ‘Hado’ offer a virtual dodgeball-like experience. Using a head mounted display and wearable arm sensors, players compete using energy balls and shields in a three-on-three game scenario. In May 2019, the first Hado World Cup was held in Japan with eight teams competing; by 2020, the number of teams increased to 16 from nine countries. Fans were able to view the event at the venue or live streamed on YouTube. Creators of Hado predict more “new sports” being introduced as the genre evolves.
The rise of simulated sport and augmented/virtual platforms has ignited the conversation for digital sports to be integrated within the Olympics program.
Access to resources
Where possible, direct links to full-text and online resources are provided. However, where links are not available, you may be able to access documents directly by searching our licenced full-text databases (note: user access restrictions apply). Alternatively, you can ask your institutional, university, or local library for assistance—or purchase documents directly from the publisher. You may also find the information you’re seeking by searching Google Scholar.
- Esports, Wikipedia, (accessed 7 July 2021). Esports (also known as electronic sports, e-sports, or eSports) is a form of sport competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams.
- Esports: From Why Do It to How Can I Get Into It? Bhatt, Neelay, Parks & Recreation, Volume 56(2), (February 2021). In the article, the author discusses the sustained growth of esports and offers tips on how to get involved in the games. Also cited are a brief history of esports including the 1972 Spacewar video game competition, the projected esports audience growth worldwide by 2023, the growing involvement of sports like tennis and basketball in esports, and the esports investment by firms like Adidas, Coca-Cola, and Mercedes-Benz.
- What traditional sports and individual athletes will have learned from esports, Nielsen Sports, (30 July 2020). In the past we have seen the esports ecosystem rapidly mature and grow as it draws lessons from traditional sports in the way that it employs coaches and analysts and the way it develops its revenue streams through its fans, sponsors and sales of merchandise and apparel. However, we are now starting to see the transfer of knowledge moving in the opposite direction, with traditional sports rights holders looking to learn from esports. One of the main drivers for this is that rights holders are seeing a growing number of people – young people in particular – no longer engaging with traditional sports in the way they used to.
- Is An Esport Really a Sport? Phil Birch and Edgar Chekera, Psychology Today, (19 April 2020). Although a somewhat controversial debate, an esport can be considered a sport. With this consideration enters the interest of sport-related disciplines investigating how they can best fit within the esports industry. This includes physiotherapy, nutrition and psychology, to name a few.
- What is esports? A beginner's guide to competitive gaming, Ford James, Games Radar, (13 February 2020). In essence, esports is the collective term used to describe competitive gaming at a professional level, with the top esports players often being the very best in the world at their respective game.
- Esports is the future of all sports – here’s why, Andy Miah, Chair in Science Communication and Future Media, University of Salford, The Conversation, (23 October 2019). The future of all sports is esports. That may sound like a bold statement but there is growing evidence to support it. Today’s spectators and participants expect to be digitally engaged while they watch. And the most effective way to deliver digital engagement is through “gamification” – the transformation of watching into playing.
- As E-Sports Grow, So Do Their Homes, C.J. Hughes, New York Times, (28 May 2019). The $10 million Esports Stadium Arlington in Texas, which opened in November in the city’s convention center, is the largest e-sports center in North America, with flexible seating, a state-of-the-art broadcast studio and an 85-foot-long LED wall. And in Philadelphia, developers are planning to build Fusion Arena, the first new United States construction to be dedicated to professional gaming, offering 3,500 seats and a training facility.
- Esports: How The Term Was Coined And What Is The Correct Way To Write It? Federico Winer, D!gitalist Magazine, (27 March 2019). It is widely accepted that video gaming emerged from homes and arcades into a recognized sport sometime between 1999 and 2005, but there’s still a lot of debate around what to call competitive electronic sports. Depending on the source, country, and context, it might be written any of the following ways: esports, eSports, Esports, ESports, E-Sports, e-sport, Cybersport, Virtualsports, and more. According to the Online Gamers Association (OGA), the first recorded instance of the term was “eSports” in a 1999 press release.
- New research details audience behaviour across biggest esports titles and tournaments, Nielsen Sports, (13 December 2018). The result of this Nielsen and Twitch Esports Fan research study is a set of rich data that marketers, rights holders and esports organizations can use to unlock the value of Twitch’s audience at a detailed level. The data will guide those looking to make informed decisions for investments, sponsorship and advertising, as well as help esports organizations effectively demonstrate the unique value their audience brings to the industry.
- What is eSports? A look at an explosive billion-dollar industry, AJ Willingham, CNN, (27 August 2018). eSports describes the world of competitive, organized video gaming. Competitors from different leagues or teams face off in the same games that are popular with at-home gamers: Fortnite, League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, Overwatch and Madden NFL, to name a few. These gamers are watched and followed by millions of fans all over the world, who attend live events or tune in on TV or online. Streaming services like Twitch allow viewers to watch as their favorite gamers play in real time, and this is typically where popular gamers build up their fandoms.
- Why competitive gaming is starting to look a lot like professional sports, Andrew Webster, The Verge, (27 July 2018). As e-sports continue to chase mainstream popularity, traditional sports organizations have steadily joined the ranks. Now, some of the biggest professional e-sports leagues in the world are starting to look a lot like the NBA or NFL. That includes big-money owners, a structured schedule, and things like minimum salaries and other benefits for players.
- Esports: The new sport business, Global Sports, (16 March 2018). Dive into the world of eSports: an exponentially growing industry predicted to be worth billions of dollars by 2020. The sky is the limit for investors, audiences, and participants alike. Professors Aaron CT Smith and James Skinner, from the Institute of Sport Business at Loughborough University London, examine this hot topic in the business of sport.
- Embrace the Passion of eSports, Gemba, (April 2016). Our proprietary research shows that there are 1.5M eSport fanatics in Australia (fans that are highly passionate about the sport) who are mostly young males. To put this in perspective, this audience is over a third the size of cricket which records the highest sport passion levels in Australia with 4.3M fanatics. 57% of Australian eSport fanatics are streaming content on a weekly basis, spending 8.1 hours per week not just viewing but broadcasting/publishing their own gameplay. Close to 50% of eSport fanatics stream their own gameplay on socially rich websites such as Twitch and Youtube Gaming.
- Global Esports & Live Streaming Market Report, NewZoo, (March 2021). Includes market sizing, forecasts, insights into how to activate in esports and streaming, COVID-19’s impact, key trends, streaming in China, and much more. Some key insights include:
- Global esports revenues will grow to $1,084 million in 2021, a year-on-year growth of +14.5%, up from $947.1 million in 2020.
- In 2021, $833.6 million in revenues—over 75% of the total market—will come from media rights and sponsorship.
- The global games live-streaming audience will hit 728.8 million in 2021, growing +10.0% from 2020. This free report also includes some of our forecast data for esports and streaming.
- PwC’s Sports Survey 2020: Sports industry: system rebooting, PwC, (2020). As expected, the fifth edition of the PwC’s Sports Survey closely reviews the short- and long-term consequences of a crisis unprecedented in the history of modern sport. Against this backdrop, we’ve delved into the rapidly evolving sports media ecosystem, as well as the opportunities and challenges of emancipating esports as a new discipline alongside its physical equivalent.
- Esports Playbook for Brands, Nielsen, (April 2019). Highlights data and findings from Nielsen Esports Fan Insights, our Esport24 sponsorship valuation database, custom research, social channel listening, Nielsen TV ratings, and industry experts, including our trusted Nielsen Esports Advisory Board members.
- PwC’s Sports Survey 2019: Sports industry – time to refocus? PwC, (2019). In its fourth edition, PwC’s Sports Survey collected the views of 580 industry leaders coming from 49 countries on growth expectations and a wide range of strategic and organisational topics. While assessing the overall state of the industry, this year’s edition zones in on three important themes: the need for innovation within established sports organisations, the value of direct-to-consumer media distribution and the role of sports federations going forward.
- The emergence of esports and the advertising opportunities within the ecosystem, Abby Long, Nick Drabicky, and Hayley Rhodes, PMG, (June 2018). Unlike traditional major league sports where athletes play a single type of game, esports athletes are scattered across a variety of game types that each comes with its own nuances and audience types. It’s important to know that the term ‘esports’ encapsulates every professionally played games from mobile games that typically attract a younger audience to first-person shooter games that draw in a more male adult-skewed audience.
- PwC's Sports Survey 2018: How to call the shots in transition, PwC, (2018). In its third edition, PwC’s Sports Survey collected the views of 470 sport industry leaders on a wide variety of trends that are prevalent in today’s market. This annual report captures the industry’s collective wisdom on its growth prospects and the key threats it is facing. Additionally, it features three deep dives assessing the future of the sports media landscape, how to drive ROI through sports sponsorship going forward, and how to approach the fast-growing space of esports.
- What Is Sport? A Response to Jim Parry, Lukáš Mareš, Daniel D. Novotný, Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, (14 April 2022). One of the most pressing points in the philosophy of sport is the question of a definition of sport. Approaches towards sport vary based on a paradigm and position of a particular author. This article attempts to analyse and critically evaluates a recent definition of sport presented by Jim Parry in the context of argument that e-sports are not sports. Despite some innovations, his conclusions are in many ways traditional and build on the previous positions. His research, rooted in the conceptual analysis, starts with a stipulation that sport is paradigmatically Olympic sport. He defines it then as an ‘institutionalised, rule-governed contest of human physical skill’ i.e., identifies six necessary elements of sport: human (not animals), physical (not chess), skill (not jogging), contest (not mountaineering), rule-governed (not ‘field sports’), institutionalized (not hula-hooping). Our claim is that this definition, despite its methodological clarity, is not accurate and does not sufficiently represent sport outside the Olympic context. First, to say for something to be a sport it is necessary to be a contest leads to a narrow concept of sport. Secondly, Parry’s account lacks the emphasis on game and play-like structures that are inherently present in sport (even in the Olympic sport), namely non-necessity, non-ordinariness, arbitrariness and gratuitousness. We try to direct the attention precisely on these structures and offer an alternative account of sport understood as a modern ‘hard core’ sport that nevertheless reaches important congruences with Parry’s definition. The originality of this contribution lies in presenting the essential qualities of modern ‘hard core’ sports, which, although sometimes hidden in the modern emphasis on high level performances, competition, and results, play an important role in the question how sport ought to be played and approached.
- Actually, Esports Is Sport: A Response to Parry’s (2019) Misguided View, Michael Naraine, Sports Innovation Journal, Volume 2, pp.33-44, (2021). Esports should not simply be discounted because it looks different than traditional sport offerings, Olympic or otherwise (Cunningham et al., 2018). With a more stringent look, naysayers like Parry would be surprised to learn that esports actually does meet their defining characteristics of traditional sport (Walton et al., 2020). Furthermore, upon closer inspection, Parry’s other pillar appears quite weak. In fact, Parry provides no considerable, conclusive evidence to suggest stakeholders are advocating for esports to be an Olympic sport. Rather, the evidence suggests that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Movement is trying to capitalize on esports’ growth and salience among youth demographics (IOC, 2019; Tarrant, 2018). Consequently, it is important to counter Parry’s inaccurate claims and provide further color to an important topic that will become more prominent with the ever-increasing digitization and virtualization of our world (Mastromartino et al., 2020). Thus, the following rebuttal to Parry’s (2019) piece highlights the instability of both foundations, and emphasizes why it is important to not discredit new sport forms without a substantive argument.
- The rise of E-Sports and potential for Post-COVID continued growth, Kim, Young Hoon; Nauright, John; Suveatwatanakul, Chokechai, Sport in Society, Volume 23(11), (November 2020). E-sports is an event involving professional game competitions. Despite a significant growth of e-sports industry, research findings and literature, including systematic evaluation and comparison of destinations are still in infant stage. Thus, the current paper attempts to review e-sports industry and address the multiple indicators for success. The results of this study show that the economic impact by esports is significant for a destination. In particular, government strategic plans and investment should be considered for strategic development of e-sports particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- E-Sports: a legitimate sport? Cerqueira, Matheus; Monteiro, Diogo; Travassos, Bruno; et.al., Cuadernos de Psicología del Deporte 2020, Volume 20(2), (2020). The article examines the legitimacy of electronic sports. It mentions that electronic sports as an area of sports activities in which people develop and train physical and mental skills in the use of information and communication technologies. It also mentions about the psychological and physical health of electronic sports.
- Institutionalisation in E-Sports, Abanazir, Cem, Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, Volume 13(2), (May 2019). Following its economic impact and rising popularity, 'e-sports' has become a theme within the academic debate on sports. The current discussion revolves around the definitions of sports provided by the philosophy and sociology of sports and how in turn, this can be adapted to e-sports. The premise of this article is the analysis of 'institutionalisation', which is claimed to be an element of modern sport. The governance and production aspects of e-sports will be the main focus where the nature of video games with their fractured production process, the lack of a monopolistic international organisation and its relative novelty will be emphasised. Furthermore, the shaky ground on which the term 'institutionalisation' stands will be touched on. It will conclude that the current debate on the recognition of e-sports as a sport may experience certain pitfalls if it does not solve the fundamental problems regarding institutionalisation and ignores the production process of video games and e-sports.
- E-sports are Not Sports, Parry, Jim, Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, Volume 13(1), pp.3-8, (February 2019). The conclusion of this paper will be that e-sports are not sports. I begin by offering a stipulation and a definition. I stipulate that what I have in mind, when thinking about the concept of sport, is 'Olympic' sport. And I define an Olympic Sport as an institutionalised, rule-governed contest of human physical skill. The justification for the stipulation lies partly in that it is uncontroversial. Whatever else people might think of as sport, no-one denies that Olympic Sport is sport. This seeks to ensure that those who might wish to dispute my conclusion might stay with the argument at least for as long as possible. Secondly, the justification for the stipulation lies partly in its normativity—I have chosen an Olympic conception of sport just because it seems to me to offer some kind of desirable version of what sport is and might become. Thirdly, I give examples which show how prominent promoters of e-sports agree with my stipulation, as evidenced by their strenuous attempts to comply with it in order to join the Olympic club. The justification for the definition lies in the conceptual analysis offered—an 'exhibition-analysis' which clarifies the concept of sport by offering 'construals' of the six first-level terms. The conclusion is that e-sports are not sports because they are inadequately 'human'; they lack direct physicality; they fail to employ decisive whole-body control and whole-body skills, and cannot contribute to the development of the whole human; and because their patterns of creation, production, ownership and promotion place serious constraints on the emergence of the kind of stable and persisting institutions characteristic of sports governance. Competitive computer games do not qualify as sports, no matter what 'resemblances' may be claimed. Computer games are just that—games.
- eSports – Competitive sports or recreational activity? Hallmann, Kirstin; Giel, Thomas, Sport Management Review, Volume 21(1), (February 2018). eSports is growing around the globe, with more and more individuals are engaged as players or spectators. In this paper, the authors reflect on whether eSports can be considered as sport based on evaluating five characteristics of sport and assessing them for eSports. Currently, eSports are not a sport but there is the potential that eSports will become a sport. Different opportunities how marketers and managers can attend to eSports are outlined.
- Is eSport a ‘real’ sport? Reflections on the spread of virtual competitions, Ansgar Thiel and Jannika M. John, European Journal of Sport and Society, Volume 15(4), pp.311-315, (2018). eSports is a rapidly growing industry that attracts a high number of players and has a high economic value. Formats such as FIFA 18 were sold around 24 million times in the first 11 months after market launch. In the same period, FIFA 18 registered around 7 billion played matches and more than 20 million players from 60 countries took part in official online FIFA competitions.
- Virtual(ly) athletes: Where eSports fit within the definition of “Sport”, Jenny S, Manning D, Keiper M and Olrich T, Quest, Volume 69(1), pp.1-18, (2017). The worldwide popularity of competitive video gaming has opened the question, “is it sport”. Competitive video gaming fits within (at least in part) most of the philosophical and sociological definitions of ‘sport’. It incorporates play, organisation, competition, skill, physicality (i.e. to some degree), has a broad following and recognition by institutions (e.g. government, education, etc.). With the decline of the percentage of the population (particularly youth) engaging in physical activity, eSport has the potential to bridge the gap between sedentary activities and physical sport through motion-based video gaming. In the United States, several universities have added video gaming to their suite of intercollegiate sports. The US government now recognises (for employment and income tax purposes) professional eSports-persons in the same way as professional sports-persons in other disciplines (e.g. baseball, football, basketball, golf, etc.).
- What is eSports and why do people watch it? Joho Hamari and Max Sjöblom, Internet Research, Volume 27(2), (2017). The purpose of this paper is to investigate why do people spectate eSports on the internet. The authors define eSports (electronic sports) as “a form of sports where the primary aspects of the sport are facilitated by electronic systems; the input of players and teams as well as the output of the eSports system are mediated by human-computer interfaces.” In more practical terms, eSports refer to competitive video gaming (broadcasted on the internet).
The primary demographic for esports participants is 16-25-year-old males. Of the 67% of Australian video gamers, approximately 33% have watched esports.
Australian context
The global esports economy is significant and is estimated to grow to $1,084 million in 2021, this represents a year-on-year growth of over 14.5%, up from $947.1 million in 2020. 75% of this will be generated directly (sponsorship and advertising) and the other 25% indirectly (media rights and content licenses). The global games live-streaming audience is estimated to hit 728.8 million in 2021, an increase of over 10.0% from 2020.
Domestic data for esports in Australia is limited but PwC estimated that Australia’s total esports revenue was A$6 million in 2020, set to grow to A$16 million by 2025. Esports in Australia continue to grow slower than many markets, potentially because easy access to the large US English-language scene makes growing local content more difficult. The increasing number of people watching esports live streams also can not be underestimated. PwC also highlight that, according to Adroit Market Research, the market for gaming content is on track to be valued globally at $US79 billion (A$102 billion) by 2025.
Esports is a smaller subset of the broader video gaming industry, with 67% of Australians identifying as ‘video gamers’. Of this number 33% have watched esports with the primary demographic being 16-25 year-old males.
Access to resources
Where possible, direct links to full-text and online resources are provided. However, where links are not available, you may be able to access documents directly by searching our licenced full-text databases (note: user access restrictions apply). Alternatively, you can ask your institutional, university, or local library for assistance—or purchase documents directly from the publisher. You may also find the information you’re seeking by searching Google Scholar.
- Is esports an untapped market in Australia for advertisers? Zanda Wilson, Mumbrella, (28 July 2021). According to Roy Morgan data from December 2020, 5.5 million Aussies played video games in the past three months. Specifically looking at esports, The Newzoo Global Esports and Live Streaming Market Report (2021) places Australia’s current esports audience at 2.3 million. PwC’s latest 'Australian Entertainment and Media Outlook' found that total interactive gaming and esports revenues rose by 7.2% in 2020 to $3.41 billion in Australia. So is esports an untapped market or do the above figures hide bigger challenges in the space? We spoke with experts from specialist esports and gaming agencies to uncover what’s stopping brands unlocking the long-predicted potential of esports and gaming.
- Australia’s gaming boom continues post 2020 lockdowns, new research shows, Calum Jaspan, mumbrella, (15 July 2021). A new report from InMobi, ‘Everyone’s Gaming Among Us’ has found that Australia has experienced a gaming boom during 2020, with a significant increase in both numbers of users playing online, and overall usage. 23% of all gamers starting playing for the first time during lockdown in 2020, with that growth continuing into 2021, with a 29% overall increase in unique users and a 41% rise in usage.
- The pandemic surge in gaming is being sustained, Mariam Cheik-Hussein, AdNews, (15 July 2021). The Everyone’s Gaming Among Us report found that while 23% of all Australian gamers started playing for the first time during lockdown last year, the growth has been sustained over the full year, with 29% growth in unique users and 41% growth in usage into 2021. This growth has created advertising opportunities, with gamers expressing an overwhelming preference to watch ads, 94%, rather than pay money, 6%, when looking to progress in game or in exchange for a benefit. The report also found that smartphones have become the most popular device by far, with 85% of gamers playing on their smartphones, overtaking both consoles at 28% and PCs at 30%. This has led to the emergence of the “committed” mobile gamer as 87% play at least once or more in a day. Women were found to make up 58% of mobile gamers in Australia and gamers span all age groups from Gen Z through to Gen X.
- How do we grow Australia's Esports Industry, Kate Murray, Pursuit, University of Melbourne, (September 2018). Competitive video gaming is a flourishing and lucrative global business but Australia needs to do more to increase its presence in the eSports arena – particularly when it comes to internet speeds.
- Embrace the Passion of eSports, Gemba, (April 2016). Our proprietary research shows that there are 1.5M eSport fanatics in Australia (fans that are highly passionate about the sport) who are mostly young males. To put this in perspective, this audience is over a third the size of cricket which records the highest sport passion levels in Australia with 4.3M fanatics. 57% of Australian eSport fanatics are streaming content on a weekly basis, spending 8.1 hours per week not just viewing but broadcasting/publishing their own gameplay. Close to 50% of eSport fanatics stream their own gameplay on socially rich websites such as Twitch and Youtube Gaming.
- Global Esports & Live Streaming Market Report, NewZoo, (March 2021). Includes market sizing, forecasts, insights into how to activate in esports and streaming, COVID-19’s impact, key trends, streaming in China, and much more. Some key insights include:
- Global esports revenues will grow to $1,084 million in 2021, a year-on-year growth of +14.5%, up from $947.1 million in 2020.
- In 2021, $833.6 million in revenues—over 75% of the total market—will come from media rights and sponsorship.
- The global games live-streaming audience will hit 728.8 million in 2021, growing +10.0% from 2020. This free report also includes some of our forecast data for esports and streaming.
- Australian Entertainment & Media Outlook 2021-2025, PwC, (2021). Australia's leading industry forecasting report into consumer and advertising spend across 12 segments - one of which is interactive games and esports.
- Interactive games, (accessed 13 August 2021). The interactive games and esports market accounted for 5.9 percent of the total Australian entertainment and media market in 2020. By 2025, this share is expected to grow to 6.8 percent, making gaming one of the sectors with the highest rate of growth. Australia’s total esports revenue was A$6 million in 2020, and this is set to grow to A$16 million by 2025. This growth reflects a 21.2 percent CAGR through the forecast period from 2019 - 2025, based on the midpoint forecast scenario. Whilst esports in Australia continues growing, it is at a slower rate compared to many markets of a similar size. The Australian esports market faces a similar challenge to the UK, in that ready access to a thriving English-language scene in the US makes it more difficult to establish local activity. The growing audience for people watching live streams of esports events can not be underestimated. The market for gaming content, according to Adroit Market Research, is on track to be valued globally at $US79 billion (A$102 billion) by 2025.
- Digital Australia Report – The Power of Games, Brand, J. E., Jervis, J., Huggins, P. M., & Wilson, T. W., Interactive Games and Entertainment Association, (August 2019). The Digital Australia 2020 report (DA20) examines the Power of Games. Video games are not only main-stream, they are now normalised in everyday Australian culture. DA20 demonstrates how Australians are engaging with video games to entertain, transform, create, connect, communicate, live well and educate.Digital Australia 2020 is the eighth study in a series of national Australian research that began in 2005. The report, which is based on a study of 1,210 Australian households and 3,228 individuals, looks at the demographics of Australians who play games, play habits, behaviours and attitudes.
- Esports Spectatorship in Australia, Gibbs, M., Carter, M., Cumming, D., et.al., Networked Society Institute, University of Melbourne, (2018). In this report, we start by approximating the size of the esports market in Australia by comparing publicly available statistics and collecting a list of major global and Australian esports events. Secondly, we provide an overview of key Australian esports titles, explaining how they’re played as esports and their place within the Australian esports landscape. Thirdly, we explore the practice of spectating esports and discuss motivations behind esports spectatorship. We then present a preliminary study consisting of 18 semi-structured interviews with esports spectators regarding their engagement with and consumption of esports content. From our findings, we identify and detail three salient categories of non-exclusive esports spectator types: players, fans and recruits. We conclude with a summary of key changes in the Australia esports landscape during 2018 and important upcoming developments.
While the Organising Committees ruled out including esports as medal events at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the IOC is committed to continuing the discussion.
Esports and the Olympic Games
In 2017, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach, hailed the growth of video games and stated: "competitive esports could be considered as a sporting activity, and the players involved prepare and train with an intensity which may be comparable to athletes in traditional sports". However, it was further added that "in order to be recognised by the IOC as a sport, the content of esports must not infringe on the Olympic values."
The IOC identified compliance within areas such as anti-doping, betting, and match fixing would be required for Olympic inclusion to be considered. Other issues with fragmented governance, licensing, rapid technological evolution, and violence in video games have also been highlighted.
While the Organising Committees ruled out including esports as medal events at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the IOC is committed to continuing the discussion.
Recommendation 9 of the Olympic Agenda 2020+5 calls for the organisation to “Encourage the development of virtual sports and further engage with video gaming communities”. Sport simulation games, or eActive games (games that utilise virtual and augmented reality technology to represent physical activity, e.g. Zwift) may be considered for recognition and inclusion in the future.
In April 2021, the IOC launched its Olympic Virtual Series (OVS), to be held prior to the Tokyo Summer Games. This mass participation event included baseball, cycling, rowing, sailing and motorsport and was designed to "mobilise virtual sport, esports and gaming enthusiasts all around the world in order to reach new Olympic audiences" and encourage "the development of physical and non-physical forms of sports". The event is aligned with the the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020-5 and its digital strategy.
Australian Olympic Committee (AOC)
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) supports the position held by the IOC that the violent nature of some of the games is not consistent with the Olympic values. Whilst it is acknowledged that games within the sports genre of esports are more aligned, the domestic market is relatively small and does not currently warrant Olympic recognition. Subsequently, at this time, the AOC has not recognised esports in Australia.
Access to resources
Where possible, direct links to full-text and online resources are provided. However, where links are not available, you may be able to access documents directly by searching our licenced full-text databases (note: user access restrictions apply). Alternatively, you can ask your institutional, university, or local library for assistance—or purchase documents directly from the publisher. You may also find the information you’re seeking by searching Google Scholar.
- IOC makes biggest esports statement yet with launch of Olympic Virtual Series, Dan Palmer, Inside the Games, (22 April 2021). Five sports - baseball, cycling, rowing, sailing and motorsport - have signed-up for the mass participation initiative which will begin on May 13 ahead of the rearranged Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
- The International Olympic Committee Remains Focused on ‘Virtual Sports’ Over Esports, Trent Murray, The Esports Observer, (17 February 2021). The International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive board has released its “2020+5” agenda, detailing a list of recommendations for the organization’s continued efforts to evolve alongside an ever-changing, increasingly digital global culture. Among these recommendations is the following: “encourage the development of virtual sport and further engage with video gaming communities.”
- What traditional sports and individual athletes will have learned from esports, Nielsen Sports, (30 July 2020). In the past we have seen the esports ecosystem rapidly mature and grow as it draws lessons from traditional sports in the way that it employs coaches and analysts and the way it develops its revenue streams through its fans, sponsors and sales of merchandise and apparel. However, we are now starting to see the transfer of knowledge moving in the opposite direction, with traditional sports rights holders looking to learn from esports. One of the main drivers for this is that rights holders are seeing a growing number of people – young people in particular – no longer engaging with traditional sports in the way they used to.
- IOC to form ‘two-speed’ esports strategy, Sport Business, (9 December 2019). The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has agreed on a “two-speed approach” regarding its esports strategy, reiterating its stance that it will only consider games simulating sports.
- Bach: No Olympic future for esports until ‘violence’ removed, Stephen Wade, AP News, (1 September 2018). “We cannot have in the Olympic program a game which is promoting violence or discrimination,” he told the AP. “So-called killer games. They, from our point of view, are contradictory to the Olympic values and cannot therefore be accepted.”
- Video gaming as an Olympic sport? IOC hosting eSports forum to better understand competitive gaming, Global News, (19 July 2018). The IOC and Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) will host a two-day eSports forum in Lausanne, Switzerland, get a better grip on competitive gaming.
- E-sports just got closer to being part of the Olympics, Karolos Grohmann, Reuters, (29 October 2017). The International Olympic Committee recently said that e-sports gaming could be a sanctioned sport for the Games. The IOC sees allowing e-sports as a promising way to grow viewership with younger audiences. Global audiences for e-sports are expected to reach 385.5 million this year.
- Olympic Agenda 2020+5: 15 recommendations, International Olympic Committee, (May 2020). Recommendation 9: Encourage the development of virtual sports and further engage with video gaming communities. As these virtual sports develop, the roles and responsibilities of IFs around virtual sports will increase. Therefore, it is important that IFs ensure good governance and necessary regulations around sports simulations (cf. recommendation 1).The objective of this direct engagement is to encourage sports participation and promote the Olympic values with a special focus on youth. In addition, these products and experiences can fill the gap between virtual sports and the Olympic Games, creating valuable brand associations with IFs and their respective virtual sports. This could include looking at feasibility studies to anticipate potential proposals from IFs to include their respective physical virtual sports in the Olympic programme for future editions of the Olympic Games. Video games are bringing communities together with people gathering around their passion. By entering strategic partnerships with those communities at a regional level, sports organisations can reach youth demographics outside of their direct environment and get these youth engaged in sport while reaching out to new populations (cf. recommendation 12). As elite esports and gaming competitors are relatively new to the highly competitive environment, they have more limited access to resources than athletes in traditional sports. The IOC recognises these challenges and aims to adapt various existing tools and resources to support them in different fields such as gender equality, mental and physical health, competition integrity and career transition.
- PwC’s Sports Survey 2020: Sports industry: system rebooting, PwC, (2020). As expected, the fifth edition of the PwC’s Sports Survey closely reviews the short- and long-term consequences of a crisis unprecedented in the history of modern sport. Against this backdrop, we’ve delved into the rapidly evolving sports media ecosystem, as well as the opportunities and challenges of emancipating esports as a new discipline alongside its physical equivalent.
- IF Gaming and Esports Strategy, Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), (September 2019). This report aims to deliver a clear understanding of the gaming and esports market landscape, to support IFs in devising a structured approach on how to address strategic questions and most importantly, to outline strategic positioning options to help IFs define a way forward. The research has provided extensive information for our various internal groups and resulted in some recommendations for our IFs.
- Major determinants for International Federations to adopt esports as part of their digitalisation strategies, Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), (2019). The significant economic potential of the esports business has led many IFs to show interest in taking advantage of the opportunities presented by the esports world. They have begun to consider building their own esports platforms and electronic versions of their sports. However, it is clear that the individual characteristics of all sports are not equal in terms of their easy adaptation to an esports version. The purpose of this study is to answer a key question: what are the major determinants for these IFs to decide whether or not to adopt esports as part of their digitalisation strategies and to propose some recommendations for the IFs’ successful implementation of an esports platform? The results obtained through the questionnaire found that the majority of the IFs is currently undertaking esports projects with a basic understanding of what esports exactly is before they make a final decision, even though most of them remain at an early stage. Regarding the decision-making at the organisational level, the major determinants for IFs are generally based on economic and rational arguments. Interestingly, most IFs expect to see “transfer effects” from their proposed esports engagement to support the development of their existing sport offerings.
- PwC’s Sports Survey 2019: Sports industry – time to refocus? PwC, (2019). In its fourth edition, PwC’s Sports Survey collected the views of 580 industry leaders coming from 49 countries on growth expectations and a wide range of strategic and organisational topics. While assessing the overall state of the industry, this year’s edition zones in on three important themes: the need for innovation within established sports organisations, the value of direct-to-consumer media distribution and the role of sports federations going forward.
- PwC's Sports Survey 2018: How to call the shots in transition, PwC, (2018). In its third edition, PwC’s Sports Survey collected the views of 470 sport industry leaders on a wide variety of trends that are prevalent in today’s market. This annual report captures the industry’s collective wisdom on its growth prospects and the key threats it is facing. Additionally, it features three deep dives assessing the future of the sports media landscape, how to drive ROI through sports sponsorship going forward, and how to approach the fast-growing space of esports.
- Inclusion of electronic sports in the Olympic Games for the right (or wrong) reasons, Pack, Simon M.; Hedlund, David P., International Journal of Sport Policy, Volume 12(3), (September 2020). With so many popular and unique sports played around the world, one of the most important challenges for the International Olympic Committee is deciding which ones merit inclusion in the Olympic Games. In recent years, a spirited debate has ensued surrounding electronic sports, also known as esports, and the possible inclusion of this type of competitive video gaming at the Olympic Games. Considerations centre around the sporting legitimacy of electronic sport, which games might be appropriate to play at events such as the Olympics, and whether esports epitomise the values and ideals promoted by the Olympic Movement. There may be substantial and contrasting information on the topic and these aforementioned questions, but the growing popularity and significance of esports are noteworthy. Over the years, numerous policy entrepreneurs and stakeholders, including governing bodies, intellectual property rights holders, teams, players and sponsors, have all put forward various agenda and policy solutions in response to these questions. In this article, multiple perspectives on the potential inclusion of esports at the Olympic Games are presented and discussed in the context of both the Multiple Streams Framework and Actor-Network Theory. It is the hope of the authors that this article will fuel further discussions on the important topic of the possible, future inclusion of esports at the Olympic Games.
- Esports in Olympic Games: A global trend and prospects, Gdonteli, Krinanathi E., International Sports Law Review Pandektis 2020, Volume 13(1/2), (2020). The high popularity of Esports in recent years has turned many researchers into investigating this phenomenon. This article attempts to summarize what Esports are and if they can fit into the realm of sports. Besides, it investigates the main legal issues about Esports and whether Esports can be recognized as Olympic Sports. It seems that Esports meet several of the dimensions that confirm whether one sport is a real sport or not. Such dimensions are the element of game and competition, the development of motor and cognitive abilities among players. Moreover, there is a contradiction that claims that Esports are highly dependent on technology. To prevent these difficulties from being a constraint, actions should be taken to globalize eSport through an International body which should address governance, regulation and development issues by focusing more on integrity issues (e.g. doping, cheating software), athlete protection issues (e.g. contracts), issues related to the rights of the game publishers. Due to the rapid evolution of Esports, it is likely to join the program of the upcoming Olympic Games. Necessary prerequisites for doing so are initially the unequivocal admission of arguments that Esports are sports, the resolution of governance issues and finally the creation of an International Federation under the IOC.
Current practice
There are already many examples globally where esports has been used as a tool for engagement by government and individual sports.
International practice
The International Esports Federation (IESF) works with national federations around the world to promote esports. In August 2021 there were 107 registered federations, including: Australia, New Zealand , Germany, China, and the United States.
Vancouver Esports Strategy, Vancouver Economic Commission, (February 2021). This report includes an overview of the global and local esports industry, including a summary analysis of leading hubs acting on esports initiatives and strategies. As an industry, esports sits at the busy intersection of competitive sporting, games development and consumption, tourism and hospitality, and web-based content creation and broadcasting. For the region to assume a global leadership role, however, there must be comprehensive, open-minded and strong cooperation between local tourism, telecommunications, venues and athletic talent; as well as support and establishment of government policy, community-driven governance, infrastructure development, and corporate and public-sector sponsorship.
In April 2019, Denmark’s eSports strategy was launched; the goal of the strategy is to improve grassroots and business opportunities in the Danish eSports landscape. The strategy includes building a sustainable, top-to-bottom structure for Danish eSports and establishing a common vision for eSports’ integrity, such as “tackling toxicity, cheating and skin gambling.”
- Denmark gets a strategy for esports, Ministry of Culture, (27 April 2019). The government today announces a sports strategy, which for the first time will support the spread of esports and take the initiative to bring together sports actors for a joint effort. The government is setting up a broad-based esports panel to look at a wide range of challenges and opportunities in esports. [Danish text: translated using Google translate]. English language version of the strategy.
In May 2017, France introduced its regulatory framework applicable to esports competitions and esports labour contracts. The French government officially recognised esports as a national sport in France in 2016.
- French government creates an esports federation and reveals amendments to contract rules, Adrien Auxent, Esports Observer, (27 April 2016). This organization, named “Fédération France-Esport” or “association France-Esport,” will have the mission to enable the legal framework of competitions, create a legal status for the competitors, address the subject of television broadcasts, and to develop international events.
In February 2018, the German coalition Government agreed to recognise esports as an official sport. The move will pave the way for esports clubs to apply for not-for-profit status, which will mean reduced corporate and commercial taxes, as well as the ability to receive tax-deductible donations.
The eSports Project, German Sport University, Cologne, (accessed 17 August 2021). Esports fascinates over 380 million viewers around the world. It boasts prize money in the millions and has been a significant component of youth culture for some time now. Nevertheless, little is known about this exciting field from a scientific perspective. This is why the German Sport University Cologne is tackling this unique phenomenon with the eSports Project. Several of the publications and research findings focus on the health and wellbeing of amateur and professional esports players.
In May 2019, Malta launched its esports strategy. The aim of the strategy is to make Malta a central hub in the Mediterranean and European video games and esports industries. It includes direct grant schemes for innovation and a fund for the development of video games.
- Launch of Malta’s Vision for Video Games Development and Esports, Gaming Malta , (May 2019). Prime Minister Joseph Muscat launched Malta’s Vision for Video Games Development and Esports, a vision which will pave the way for the growth of this economic sector.
In March 2020, Sport New Zealand recognised New Zealand Esports Federation (NZESF) as the national sporting organisation for esports in New Zealand. Recognition enables the NZESF to have clarity on education and guidelines regarding visas, tax statuses, and prize money distribution regulations.
The NZESF aims to help organisations that are currently operated voluntarily, to enable them to provide employment opportunities. Additional funding will also see esports incorporated into schools and help with the development of New Zealand’s grassroots and professional scenes.
The esports market in South Korea is significant and esports and gaming form a major role in Korean culture. The South Korean Government played a key role in the creation of the Korean eSports Association in 2000 to manage the industry nationally.
The Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) is a member of the Korean Olympic Committee and the International e-Sports Federation. The organization manages the broadcasting of e-Sports, the formation of new events, and the conditions in which pro gamers work, as well as encourage the playing of video games by the general population. [source: Wikipedia, accessed 19 August 2021]
In December 2018, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport formed a Committee to explore the potential for eSports in the UK, among other tech trends. The Select Committee’s report on Immersive and Addictive Technologies.examined the growth of “immersive and addictive” technologies. Following a £20m investment into the “creative industries,” the Committee wanedt to understand the future of competitive gaming in the UK. The final report was published in September 2019.
The Committee provided the following recommendations:
- DCMS should update its areas of research interest to include gaming disorder, working with researchers to identify the key questions that need to be addressed and develop a strategy to support high-quality, independent research into the long-term effects of gaming;
- The Government should require games companies to share aggregated player data with researchers and to contribute financially to independent research through a levy administered by an impartial body.
- DCMS should establish a scientific working group to collate the latest evidence relating to the effects of gambling-like mechanics in games.
- The Government should provide clarity for policy-makers and the public, should outline how it intends to support independent research into the application, extent and effect of design mechanics used in digital technologies to extend user engagement.
In June 2020 the Government response to the Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee Report on Immersive and Addictive Technologies was published. Within the detailed response the Government highlighted that whilst digital technologies are overwhelmingly a force for good both economically and socially, they undoubtedly also present new responsibilities to ensure that users - particularly children and vulnerable people - are not exposed to harm. Given the pace of evolution in this sector, government’s challenge is to create policies that are effective within the context of constant innovation, including new and changing platforms, emerging tools and techniques, and a growing range of monetisation models, such as the relatively new development of subscription services in online games. A priority for our ongoing policy development in this area will be to identify and quickly address any evidence gaps, taking an approach that is as future-focused as possible. Where evidence of harm is identified, we will take strong, rapid and proportionate action to ensure users are protected.
In 2013, the USA recognised the League of legends esports format as a professional sport and its players as professional athletes. This enabled overseas professional esports players to move to the USA under specific visas, usually provided to professional sports players.
Sporting organisations
The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) is the Australian Government agency responsible for supporting and investing in sport. The ASC comprises Sport Australia — responsible for driving the broader sport sector including participation, supporting activities linked to sport and sport industry growth, and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) — leading our high-performance sport system.
In 2019 Sport Australia produced a draft document that highlighted the current, and potential future landscape of esport in Australia. The report highlights that esports have captured the attention of the domestic and global sporting community but understanding and awareness of the industry in Australia is lacking in many sporting organisations. Similarly, those from the esports industry are seeking clarity on how it intersects with sport. Esports were therefore identifed as both a potential threat and an opportunity for sport.
The Australian Esports Association (AESA) formally established as a non-profit association in April 2013. It is a national body that is actively involved in the development of policy, planning, infrastructure and initiatives for esports in Australia.
The AESA is a member of the International Esports Federation (IeSF) as a national member representing Australia. Currently the IeSF comprises of over 107 nations and is signatory to the World Anti-Doping Agency and actively working towards SportAccord membership.
Additionally the AESA is signatory to International University Sports Federation’s (FISU) esports global collaboration memorandum laying the ground work for global university cooperation in esports.
- NBA 2K League (accessed 13 August 2021). A joint venture between the NBA and Take-Two Interactive, NBA 2K League is a professional esports league featuring the best NBA 2K players in the world and is the first official esports league operated by a U.S. professional sports league. The NBA 2K League tipped off its inaugural season in May 2018 with 17 teams, each affiliated with an NBA team. Since then, the league has expanded to 23 teams, 22 of which are affiliated with NBA teams. Gen.G, whose investors include LA Clippers alternate governor Dennis Wong and whose teams compete in seven other major titles, is the only NBA 2K League team not affiliated with an NBA team.
- Technical Regulations: esports, AusCycling, (2020). In 2021 AusCycling and Zwift offered three e-sport series:
- Club National E-Sport Series, open to J19, U23, Elite and Masters aged riders who will be able to score points for their club and their State/Territory.
- Junior National E-Sport Series, a four round series for Junior 15 and 17 category riders.
- Elite Teams National E-Sport Series, a six race invitational series for National Road Series teams, UCI Continental Teams registered in New Zealand and, Australian and New Zealand National Teams.
- E-League, A-League.com.au, (accessed 13 August 2021). In 2021 the two-day competition saw 12 clubs (2 players per club; 24 players) compete across 11 rounds on EA SPORTSM FIFA21 on both PlayStation®4 and Xbox One. All matches were broadcast live on Twitch.
- Football SA launches new E-Series (27 March 2020). With the recent outbreak of COVID-19 resulting in all Football activity being suspended, Football SA will run a series of online FIFA 20 competitions across Xbox One and PlayStation 4 platforms in a bid to engage with its participants across the state.
- E6 CONNECT is a gaming engine built to scale and offering cross-platform virtual golf competition. This includes access to courses, mini games, skills combines and training aids.
Formula 1 has adopted simulated platforms for driver training and race preparation with drivers practising on replicas of each formal race circuit. Formula 1 has also recognised the broader value of simulated driving for grass roots development and talent identification.
In 2018 the McLaren F1 racing team launched its ‘Shadow Project’ inviting drivers in the simulated world to compete in a global racing competition. The eventual winner of the competition was tested to identify transferrable skills to the real driving world – the conclusion was 85% of skills were transferrable. McLaren have identified simulated driving as the new market for grass roots driving and pathway to competitive racing in the real world. This potentially opens up a new market for participants in countries such as India and China where the usual cost of grassroots racing, through go-carting is prohibitive
- Rowing with LiveRowing. Connecting the Concept2 Rowing Machine to a digital network. The LiveRowing App takes control of the Concept2 Performance Monitor, which enables: training, workouts challenges and competitions with friends. LiveRowing is endorsed by British Rowing and Sport England.
Key areas of focus
Esport strategies
The attraction of esports is introducing traditional sports to new harder-to-reach audiences that gravitate towards gaming. Many traditional sports which invest resources into esports are those where sport simulation games are popular (e.g. football, basketball, golf) but, increasingly, more sports are connecting with esports because they recognise the strategic and commercial value of a partnership.
There are several key strategies which underpin sports’ engagement with esports:
- Team acquisition - Purchase an esports team to compete in existing competitions or franchise. E.g. Adelaide Crows bought Legacy esports and won the Oceanic Pro League in 2020.
- Player acquisition - Purchase an esports player to compete under own brand. E.g. Manchester City became the first-ever team to win both the Premier League and FIFA Esports ePremier League title during the 2020-21 season.
- Brand placement - Extend own brand to an existing esports team. E.g. In 2020 all ten official F1 teams competed remotely for the Teams' and Drivers' championship with a prize fund of $750k.
- Integrated - Integrating real-life sports with esports. E.g. Zwift partners with Giro d’Italia to host a digital replica of a race stage for online competitors.
Over the last several years the annual PwC Sports Survey has surveyed industry leaders on the opportunites and challenges facing the sport industry. Since 2018 esports have been rated as the sport with the greatest potential for growing revenue globally. In 2018 almost 60% of responses returned a view that esports should not be included in the Olympics with the responses appearing to indicate a lack of alignment with sport. The 2020 report however, highlighted the impact of the COVI-19 pandemic and the introduction of hybrid sports (eActive) which may put to an end the debate about the physical aspect of esports, and in the process reinforce both the legitimacy and potential of virtual sports.
Esports are already on the radar for sport but a lack of understanding of how the industry functions is prohibiting many from pursuing active engagement. As consumers move towards online and digital activities and esports grows both in size and influence, the opportunities for traditional sports to enter the market will likely become more relevant.
Future trends
Technology is a key driver in the growth of esports and the enhancement of technology has influenced the evolution and direction of the industry. The figure below, shows some of the key events and evolution of the gaming environment.
In 2021, the advent of the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic saw a rapid increase in the use of technology for engagement. The long-term impact is still evolving but as the use of virtual and augmented reality continues and becomes more affordable and mainstream, the esports industry could see more simulated sports enter the market. The possibilities of more traditional sports becoming transferrable to the digital world are great and the emergence of products similar to Zwift and the McLaren 'Shadow Project' appear likely.
If we are witnessing the evolution of sport, where participants interact and compete on virtual platforms, then it would be valuable for sport organisations to stay connected to the industry to both align and remain relevant with contemporary sports consumers. For example, partnerships, or endorsements with the simulated sport/fitness gaming environment, could provide useful strategic links.
Currently, esport in Australia is still evolving and working towards developing a well-structured and managed industry. This could be the optimum time to forge a partnership with esports to avoid missing an opportunity to do so in the future.
Access to resources
Where possible, direct links to full-text and online resources are provided. However, where links are not available, you may be able to access documents directly by searching our licenced full-text databases (note: user access restrictions apply). Alternatively, you can ask your institutional, university, or local library for assistance—or purchase documents directly from the publisher. You may also find the information you’re seeking by searching Google Scholar.
- Esports and how the AFL can do more, Michael Georgio, Zero Hanger, (24 July 2021). At a time where financial security for the AFL is paramount, could gaming be the answer?
- Esports: The Next Big Thing for Parks and Rec, Bhatt, Neelay, Parks & Recreation, Volume 54(9), (September 2019). The article offers information on the increasing trend of the esport and its effect on park and recreation agencies. Topics discussed include multiplayer gaming events played in a competitive environment; struggles of the park and recreation agencies with programming for teens; providing physical activity and multigenerational socialization benefits; and focusing on esports in program offering or future strategic direction.
- Olympic Agenda 2020+5: 15 recommendations, International Olympic Committee, (May 2020). Recommendation 9: Encourage the development of virtual sports and further engage with video gaming communities. As these virtual sports develop, the roles and responsibilities of IFs around virtual sports will increase. Therefore, it is important that IFs ensure good governance and necessary regulations around sports simulations (cf. recommendation 1).The objective of this direct engagement is to encourage sports participation and promote the Olympic values with a special focus on youth. In addition, these products and experiences can fill the gap between virtual sports and the Olympic Games, creating valuable brand associations with IFs and their respective virtual sports. This could include looking at feasibility studies to anticipate potential proposals from IFs to include their respective physical virtual sports in the Olympic programme for future editions of the Olympic Games. Video games are bringing communities together with people gathering around their passion. By entering strategic partnerships with those communities at a regional level, sports organisations can reach youth demographics outside of their direct environment and get these youth engaged in sport while reaching out to new populations (cf. recommendation 12). As elite esports and gaming competitors are relatively new to the highly competitive environment, they have more limited access to resources than athletes in traditional sports. The IOC recognises these challenges and aims to adapt various existing tools and resources to support them in different fields such as gender equality, mental and physical health, competition integrity and career transition.
- IF Gaming and Esports Strategy, Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), (September 2019). This report aims to deliver a clear understanding of the gaming and esports market landscape, to support IFs in devising a structured approach on how to address strategic questions and most importantly, to outline strategic positioning options to help IFs define a way forward. The research has provided extensive information for our various internal groups and resulted in some recommendations for our IFs.
- Major determinants for International Federations to adopt esports as part of their digitalisation strategies, Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), (2019). The significant economic potential of the esports business has led many IFs to show interest in taking advantage of the opportunities presented by the esports world. They have begun to consider building their own esports platforms and electronic versions of their sports. However, it is clear that the individual characteristics of all sports are not equal in terms of their easy adaptation to an esports version. The purpose of this study is to answer a key question: what are the major determinants for these IFs to decide whether or not to adopt esports as part of their digitalisation strategies and to propose some recommendations for the IFs’ successful implementation of an esports platform? The results obtained through the questionnaire found that the majority of the IFs is currently undertaking esports projects with a basic understanding of what esports exactly is before they make a final decision, even though most of them remain at an early stage. Regarding the decision-making at the organisational level, the major determinants for IFs are generally based on economic and rational arguments. Interestingly, most IFs expect to see “transfer effects” from their proposed esports engagement to support the development of their existing sport offerings.
- NCAA e-sports 20XX: an analysis of radical innovation adoption through firm collaboration, Williams, Dylan; Tutka, Patrick; Gawrysiak, Joey; et.al., International Journal of Sport Management & Marketing, Volume 21(1/2), (2021). The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is considering the adoption of e-sports (i.e., organised competitive video gaming), which could be considered a radical innovation as it deviates in many areas from traditional sports (e.g., online game play format, lack of high physical exertion, complicated intellectual property rights for each game, etc.). However, collaboration with firms familiar with the innovation (e.g., National Association of Collegiate eSports - NACE) might mitigate risks surrounding the radical innovation. Thus, the purpose of this paper was to investigate whether a potential association between the NCAA and NACE would be advantageous to both organisations. Through a deductive qualitative content analysis underpinned by Rogers's (2003) innovation characteristics (e.g., complexity, compatibility and relative advantage), several themes emerged: physical exertion, e-sports structure, amateurism, eligibility, compensation, profitability, and diversity and gender equity. These themes are discussed while identifying the benefits and issues surrounding a NCAA/NACE collegiate e-sports adoption and collaboration.
- The rise of E-Sports and potential for Post-COVID continued growth, Kim, Young Hoon; Nauright, John; Suveatwatanakul, Chokechai, Sport in Society, Volume 23(11), (November 2020). E-sports is an event involving professional game competitions. Despite a significant growth of e-sports industry, research findings and literature, including systematic evaluation and comparison of destinations are still in infant stage. Thus, the current paper attempts to review e-sports industry and address the multiple indicators for success. The results of this study show that the economic impact by esports is significant for a destination. In particular, government strategic plans and investment should be considered for strategic development of e-sports particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Esports extension of a football brand: stakeholder co-creation in action? Bertschy, Marjorie; Mühlbacher, Hans; Desbordes, Michel, European Sport Management Quarterly, Volume 20(1), (February 2020). Research question: There is no published research on how the launch of an esports section can influence the meaning of a sport brand. This research aims at finding out if and how the participation in sport simulation esports games influences the meaning of a football brand and if and how stakeholders co-construct this meaning in interaction. Research methods: Based on the theoretical concept of brands as complex and dynamic social phenomena, the research analyses the online discourse of fans and professional players of AS Monaco football and esports over two years during and after the launch of the club´s new sport simulation esports games section. Semi-structured interviews with football fans and the AS Monaco Head of Digital serve the purpose of triangulation to assure the proper interpretation of the discourse. Results: Football fans ignore or do not consider the launch of sport simulation esports games worth discussing. Esports fans are not concerned with football. The two communities evolve apart from each other. The lack of fit between the fanś associations with the sport brand and the brand extension does not diminish fan-based brand equity. The meaning of the brand to the football fans does not change. Two sub-versions of the AS Monaco brand with a very similar core meaning tend to develop. Implications: The concept of brands as complex dynamic social phenomena might need adaptation when applied to the field of football brands. If management aims to extend the brand via the launch of sport simulation esports games, management should organise events that link the traditional sport and esports in a way to make both fan communities experience the core meaning of the brand.
- Using Esports Efficiently to Enhance and Extend Brand Perceptions – A Literature Review, Gawrysiak, Joey; Burton, Rick; Jenny, Seth; et.al., Physical Culture & Sport. Studies & Research, Volume 86(1), (2020). While discussion and media coverage of esports (i.e., organized competitive video gaming) has dramatically increased since 2016, the use of esports by established consumer brands has not been emphasized in the sport marketing and sponsorship literature. Though appearing in limited sport management research, esports is a non-traditional sport form that generated just under $1.2 billion in revenue as an industry in 2019. However, many non-endemic traditional consumer brands have resisted capitalizing on esports brand-building opportunities. This paper provides a literature review of the past and current esports and sport marketing literature, resulting in the creation of a figure depicting the esports endemic and non-endemic company evolution of esports brand utilization. The evolution of the competitive video game market details how endemic companies are more apt to establish themselves in the esports space before non-endemic companies because of the way that the industry moves and has acceptance by gamers and non-gamers. Marketers and brand managers that have historically employed traditional sports may glean ideas on how to best enhance and extend their brand through the burgeoning esports industry. Moreover, ideas regarding when companies should enter the esports ecosystem is provided.
- ESport Superstars, Ward, Michael R.; Harmon, Alexander D., Journal of Sports Economics, Volume 20(8), (December 2019). We analyze the careers of Esports professional players. The Esport industry has been able to monetize growing spectator demand to offer tournament prize money amounting to US$113 million in 2017. A few hundred players, out of tens of thousands, earn enough to remain professional gamers exclusively. We examine three aspects of professional Esport player careers. First, a "superstar" effect leads to increases in the top prizes drawing amateurs into the professional ranks. Next, while age and experience affect player performance, player ability remains difficult to assess. Finally, career exits reflect a quick resolution regarding the uncertainty in player ability.
- Esports as a new playground, Baltezarević, Borivoje; Baltezarević, Vesna, Facta Universitatis: Series Physical Education & Sport, Volume 17(1), (2019). With the emergence of digital media, traditional sport got computer platforms as a new kind of gaming space. eSports, as a modern form of gaming, has become an inevitable part of the digital game culture. The aim of this research is to determine if there is a connection between playing eSports video games and sport knowledge, competition skills, social interaction, skill building for problem solving and pleasurable stimulation which leads to emotional well-being. The survey encompassed 256 respondents who filled out a questionnaire that provided answers to questions that enabled us to look at the attitudes of respondents who were tested in relation to the hypotheses set out in this paper. The research has shown that respondents believe that this type of game and the amateur competition has a positive impact on players and helps them advance their knowledge of sports, cognitive skills for competition and socialization, as well as helps them to feel good in the role of players.
Esport strategies
The attraction of esports is introducing traditional sports to new harder-to-reach audiences that gravitate towards gaming.
Broadcasting, events and commercial opportunities
There are many examples of traditional sports benefitting from a commercial esports partnership but research by PwC indicates a lack of understanding of the esports business model, audience and culture is a key barrier to more sports following this path. A greater understanding of the esports environment could help sports to adopt the right esports strategy, maximise the commercial opportunity and attract greater revenue into the sports system. However, in the absence of a recognised peak body, sports do not have access to consistent advisory services without potential professional service costs.
The emergence of a recognised or endorsed peak body for esports could offer value to sports wanting to explore esports opportunities but also provide the industry structure and governance required to establish esports in Australia as credible.
Esports events can provide a good commercial opportunity for sports and stadiums. Esports events have demonstrated a high level of popularity and attract significant crowds when hosted at Australian venues. The success of the Melbourne 'Esports Open' is reflected in year on year attendance growth, and the integration of an esports event at the Australian Open Tennis shows how sport can promote its brand and expose a new consumer group to its core product.
Marketing
Esports are becoming more attractive for mainstream advertisers looking to engage with hard to reach demographics who consume content through unique esports channels.
Liking esports and sports isn’t always mutually exclusive. Some research indicates fans are twice as likely as the average Australian to have bought sport tickets online.
Millennials are less likely to have television subscriptions, often the traditional viewing platform for sport. But access to the internet is widespread, which allows them to stream esports. With an on-going challenge to engage with this cohort, the professional gaming sector could prove an effective channel to reach participants and fans who would otherwise not access traditional sports or media.
Esports fans have been shown to respond well to advertising on the gaming platforms and there could be an opportunity to exploit this with sport themed messaging.
Opportunities to expand the reach and impact of current sport and physical activity brand and campaign marketing through esports’ unique channels are compelling and many major brands (e.g. Red Bull, Mercedes and the US Air Force) have already applied marketing campaigns through esports channels.
Marketing via esports channels can provide organisations with a platform to expand messaging and communicate with a cohort not currently engaged. This can be through direct engagement with members, through gaming platforms or via esports social media influencers.
The challenge is in identifying which members, platforms and appropriate influencers are most aligned to an organisation, or brands', vision and which organisations own the valuable channels.
Broadcasting and events
On-demand and live-streamed video have been major factors in growing esports communities, with matches accessible via dedicated video gaming streaming sites. The major platform for fans to watch esports is Twitch.tv, an online service used for watching and broadcasting live or pre-recorded videos of gameplays. Twitch, owned by Amazon, reports an average daily viewing time of four hours per user in Australia and has over 140 million users globally.
Twitch’s dominance is being challenged by new streaming platforms and in August 2019 Tyler Blevins, one of the world’s top players defected from Twitch to Mixer, a streaming service owned by Microsoft.
Live esports events are incredibly popular. In September 2019 the Melbourne Esports Open, attracted over 17,000 fans to Melbourne Park, a growth of 40% year on year. Fans of all ages attended to watch, play and compete in the biggest live esports tournament ever held in Australia.
Tennis Australia has announced it will continue to host an esports event during the Australian Open, following the success of the Fortnite Summer Smash event in 2019. The Summer Smash was held on Margaret Court Arena on a vacant day during the Open and was attended by a cohort not usually attracted to this event. Parents with their children were the biggest demographic in attendance, a key target audience for increasing sport and physical activity participation.
Access to resources
Where possible, direct links to full-text and online resources are provided. However, where links are not available, you may be able to access documents directly by searching our licenced full-text databases (note: user access restrictions apply). Alternatively, you can ask your institutional, university, or local library for assistance—or purchase documents directly from the publisher. You may also find the information you’re seeking by searching Google Scholar.
- Is esports an untapped market in Australia for advertisers? Zanda Wilson, Mumbrella, (28 July 2021). According to Roy Morgan data from December 2020, 5.5 million Aussies played video games in the past three months. Specifically looking at esports, The Newzoo Global Esports & Live Streaming Market Report (2021) places Australia’s current esports audience at 2.3 million. PwC’s latest 'Australian Entertainment and Media Outlook' found that total interactive gaming and esports revenues rose by 7.2% in 2020 to $3.41 billion in Australia. So is esports an untapped market or do the above figures hide bigger challenges in the space? We spoke with experts from specialist esports and gaming agencies to uncover what’s stopping brands unlocking the long-predicted potential of esports and gaming.
- Opportunities for brands and rights holders from a growing esports audience, Francesco Alivia, infront sport, (14 June 2021). The esports audience is expanding rapidly, accelerated by the impact of COVID-19. Understanding what makes this younger audience tick is key to securing new growth for rights holders and brands. While some growth estimates have been a little optimistic, the global esports audience is still expected to top 575 million in 2024, driven by strong markets in China, North America and Europe as well as emerging regions such as Latin America. More than six in every ten internet users watching esports are aged between 16 and 35 years old. The average age of traditional sports fan is about 50 – it’s 26 for esports. Esports fans are also largely male, although female audiences are growing too. Esports fans are different to the average sports enthusiast. They’re younger and highly engaged in digital ecosystems. For rights holders and brands, these growing audiences offer compelling reasons to invest, both now and in the future.
- Unlocking The Esports Revenue Opportunity, Yash Patel, Telstra Ventures, (5 January 2021). In December I took part in a webinar hosted by SVG Europe, supported by Telstra and Telstra Ventures, which examined the state of the esports industry: how it was unlocking new revenue streams and attracting new players and fans at a rapid rate. On the webinar, Daniel Ahmad of Niko Partners provided data on the phenomenal recent growth of esports. The sector now generates more than $1 billion in revenue per year with Asia accounting for about half of this total. According to Niko, five of the top ten highest-grossing mobile games in Asia in 2019 were esports titles, with more than 500 million players in total and a similar-sized fanbase. The North American market is not far behind.
- Op-Ed: Why esports is multi-billion-dollar opportunity for forward-thinking investors, Nick Cuomo, Co-founder and CEO of Allstar.ggevents, CNBC, (19 December 2020). In just the past decade, esports has made huge strides evolving from a largely underground culture into a mainstream industry. League of Legends World Championships matched the Superbowl in terms of viewership, and young gamers in the 18- to 25-year-old age group watch 34% more esports than traditional sports.
- Esports viewership vs sports in 2020, Roundhill Investment, (25 September 2020). There’s a lot of buzz around esports these days. In particular, headlines around the viewership numbers that major events are drawing. As major esports events continue to report steadily rising viewership going into 2021, the exact numbers have become increasingly important for organizations, sponsors, and the media to take note of. One thing that many esports fans take note of is the viewership when compared to that of traditional sporting events. In short, it’s surprisingly higher. A lot higher. But the reality is, when comparing viewership numbers for esports with those of traditional sports, it’s not always a perfect apples-to-apples comparison. There are several reasons for this, and while creating a perfect formula for comparing individual data points would be challenging at best, we’re hopeful that this piece and the framework it provides can help the general public better understand trends in viewership data by focusing on higher level data.
- Unlocking the esports opportunity, dentsu, (2021). Esports represent one of the most fascinating opportunities available for brands to create awareness and build engagement with a unique audience. With as many as 87% US consumers stating that they are accessing more media content since the beginning of the COVID outbreak (1) and a vast majority of sporting events cancelled to prevent further spreading, it is no surprise that global media outlets are paying more attention to this phenomenon than ever before.
- The gaming playbook, GWI, (2021). As we will cover in this report, the “gaming audience” is something of a misnomer. Gaming comprises an ecosystem of varying subgroups and identities. There are people who play games, and they do so on different devices. Then there are people who consume gaming content, who may not play games themselves. Then there is esports, which is another thing entirely. Expanding across multiple genres and franchises, esports is as accessible as regular gaming. Esports societies at colleges are getting more attention, while hardcore e-athletes compete for record-breaking prize pools – attracting millions of viewers online. Some key insights form the report in relation to e-sports include:
- In terms of age profile, Gen Z and millennials, unsurprisingly, show the greatest interest in esports. But even among older Gen X gamers, 38% are esports followers.
- 42% of female gamers are esports followers, which is not too far behind their male counterparts at 58%.
- Over half of esports followers like games with strong female characters (29% more likely than the average gamer), and 35% of esports followers follow a female esports player or team on social media.
- This group is also heavily community- focused, willing to spend on premium products, and show greater receptiveness to ads. For example, esports followers are 52% more likely than the average gamer to say they buy products/services to access the community built around it (1 in 4 do).
- Mobile is the top device to watch esports at 69%, followed closely by laptops/PCs at 66%. The future of esports growth, like gaming, will be rooted in mobile.
- An Exploration of Esports Consumer Consumption Patterns, Fandom, and Motives, Devin Anderson, Kevin Sweeney, Erica Pasquin, et.al, iInternational Journal of eSports Research, Volume 1(1), (January-June 2021). Esports, or competitive gaming, has become a large market in the entertainment industry, with a total market value approaching $1 billion USD in 2019. An understanding of esports consumers has become increasingly important as the industry continues to grow and evolve. Using a sample of 374 university students at a large public university, this study examines the motivations and fandom of esports consumers using a modified version of the Sport Fandom Questionnaire (SFQ) and the Motivation Scale for Sports Consumption (MSSC). Survey respondents were asked about their consumption of esports in relation to viewership, event attendance, social media usage, and spending. Three stepwise regression analyses were employed to examine the predictive capabilities of esports fandom and esports motivations on esports consumption variables. The results reveal a wide variety of relationships between esports fandom, motivation for consumption, and consumption behaviors.
- NCAA e-sports 20XX: an analysis of radical innovation adoption through firm collaboration, Williams, Dylan; Tutka, Patrick; Gawrysiak, Joey; et.al., International Journal of Sport Management & Marketing, Volume 21(1/2), (2021). The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is considering the adoption of e-sports (i.e., organised competitive video gaming), which could be considered a radical innovation as it deviates in many areas from traditional sports (e.g., online game play format, lack of high physical exertion, complicated intellectual property rights for each game, etc.). However, collaboration with firms familiar with the innovation (e.g., National Association of Collegiate eSports - NACE) might mitigate risks surrounding the radical innovation. Thus, the purpose of this paper was to investigate whether a potential association between the NCAA and NACE would be advantageous to both organisations. Through a deductive qualitative content analysis underpinned by Rogers's (2003) innovation characteristics (e.g., complexity, compatibility and relative advantage), several themes emerged: physical exertion, e-sports structure, amateurism, eligibility, compensation, profitability, and diversity and gender equity. These themes are discussed while identifying the benefits and issues surrounding a NCAA/NACE collegiate e-sports adoption and collaboration.
- The rise of E-Sports and potential for Post-COVID continued growth, Kim, Young Hoon; Nauright, John; Suveatwatanakul, Chokechai, Sport in Society, Volume 23(11), (November 2020). E-sports is an event involving professional game competitions. Despite a significant growth of e-sports industry, research findings and literature, including systematic evaluation and comparison of destinations are still in infant stage. Thus, the current paper attempts to review e-sports industry and address the multiple indicators for success. The results of this study show that the economic impact by esports is significant for a destination. In particular, government strategic plans and investment should be considered for strategic development of e-sports particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- It is in the game: dimensions of esports online spectator motivation and development of a scale, Qian, Tyreal Yizhou; Wang, Jerred Junqi; Zhang, James Jianhui; et.al., European Sport Management Quarterly, Volume 20(4), (September 2020). Research questions: To tackle the idiosyncrasies associated with esports online spectatorship, the study was designed to: (a) develop the Motivation Scale of Esports Spectatorship (MSES) and (b) identify what motivates people to watch esports in an online environment. Research methods: In phase 1 of the study, qualitative data were collected from 8 semi-structured interviews and online open-ended surveys (n = 207). Phase 2 implemented a series of quantitative components to test the motives identified in phase 1 and develop the MSES on two samples of esports online spectators. Exploratory factor analysis (n = 671), confirmatory factor analysis (n = 638), and structural equation modeling analysis (n = 638) were performed to validate the MSES. Results and findings: Skill improvement and vicarious sensation were the unique motives that emerged in the esports context. Distinct perspectives were found regarding skill appreciation and socialization opportunity. Friends bonding, competition excitement, competitive nature, entertaining nature, dramatic nature, and game knowledge were found to mirror the motives of traditional sport consumers. Implications: The study made an initial attempt to provide insights for scholars and practitioners to understand the fast-growing esports consumer market. This study contributes to a growing body of sport spectatorship literature by being one of the pioneering esports studies to investigate how the integration of interactive and immersive experiences (e.g. first-person view, chat room, and personality streams) impact esports spectators' motivation and behaviors.
- Esports extension of a football brand: stakeholder co-creation in action? Bertschy, Marjorie; Mühlbacher, Hans; Desbordes, Michel, European Sport Management Quarterly, Volume 20(1), (February 2020). Research question: There is no published research on how the launch of an esports section can influence the meaning of a sport brand. This research aims at finding out if and how the participation in sport simulation esports games influences the meaning of a football brand and if and how stakeholders co-construct this meaning in interaction. Research methods: Based on the theoretical concept of brands as complex and dynamic social phenomena, the research analyses the online discourse of fans and professional players of AS Monaco football and esports over two years during and after the launch of the club´s new sport simulation esports games section. Semi-structured interviews with football fans and the AS Monaco Head of Digital serve the purpose of triangulation to assure the proper interpretation of the discourse. Results: Football fans ignore or do not consider the launch of sport simulation esports games worth discussing. Esports fans are not concerned with football. The two communities evolve apart from each other. The lack of fit between the fanś associations with the sport brand and the brand extension does not diminish fan-based brand equity. The meaning of the brand to the football fans does not change. Two sub-versions of the AS Monaco brand with a very similar core meaning tend to develop. Implications: The concept of brands as complex dynamic social phenomena might need adaptation when applied to the field of football brands. If management aims to extend the brand via the launch of sport simulation esports games, management should organise events that link the traditional sport and esports in a way to make both fan communities experience the core meaning of the brand.
- Factors Influencing eSports Viewership: An Approach Based on the Theory of Reasoned Action, Xiao, Min, Communication and Sport, Volume 8(1), (February 2020). The current study employs the theory of reasoned action to examine factors that correlate with the behavioral intentions of watching eSports. A structural equation modeling analysis is performed to examine the relationship between intentions to watch eSports, attitude toward watching eSports, subjective norms, behavioral beliefs, and normative beliefs. The results suggested that three behavioral beliefs-related factors (aesthetics, drama, and escapism) and subjective norms were positively related to attitude toward watching eSports. Normative beliefs positively influenced subjective norms. Finally, attitude toward watching eSports positively influenced behavioral intention.
- Using Esports Efficiently to Enhance and Extend Brand Perceptions – A Literature Review, Gawrysiak, Joey; Burton, Rick; Jenny, Seth; et.al., Physical Culture & Sport. Studies & Research, Volume 86(1), (2020). While discussion and media coverage of esports (i.e., organized competitive video gaming) has dramatically increased since 2016, the use of esports by established consumer brands has not been emphasized in the sport marketing and sponsorship literature. Though appearing in limited sport management research, esports is a non-traditional sport form that generated just under $1.2 billion in revenue as an industry in 2019. However, many non-endemic traditional consumer brands have resisted capitalizing on esports brand-building opportunities. This paper provides a literature review of the past and current esports and sport marketing literature, resulting in the creation of a figure depicting the esports endemic and non-endemic company evolution of esports brand utilization. The evolution of the competitive video game market details how endemic companies are more apt to establish themselves in the esports space before non-endemic companies because of the way that the industry moves and has acceptance by gamers and non-gamers. Marketers and brand managers that have historically employed traditional sports may glean ideas on how to best enhance and extend their brand through the burgeoning esports industry. Moreover, ideas regarding when companies should enter the esports ecosystem is provided.
- ESport Superstars, Ward, Michael R.; Harmon, Alexander D., Journal of Sports Economics, Volume 20(8), (December 2019). We analyze the careers of Esports professional players. The Esport industry has been able to monetize growing spectator demand to offer tournament prize money amounting to US$113 million in 2017. A few hundred players, out of tens of thousands, earn enough to remain professional gamers exclusively. We examine three aspects of professional Esport player careers. First, a "superstar" effect leads to increases in the top prizes drawing amateurs into the professional ranks. Next, while age and experience affect player performance, player ability remains difficult to assess. Finally, career exits reflect a quick resolution regarding the uncertainty in player ability.
- Esports as a new playground, Baltezarević, Borivoje; Baltezarević, Vesna, Facta Universitatis: Series Physical Education & Sport, Volume 17(1), (2019). With the emergence of digital media, traditional sport got computer platforms as a new kind of gaming space. eSports, as a modern form of gaming, has become an inevitable part of the digital game culture. The aim of this research is to determine if there is a connection between playing eSports video games and sport knowledge, competition skills, social interaction, skill building for problem solving and pleasurable stimulation which leads to emotional well-being. The survey encompassed 256 respondents who filled out a questionnaire that provided answers to questions that enabled us to look at the attitudes of respondents who were tested in relation to the hypotheses set out in this paper. The research has shown that respondents believe that this type of game and the amateur competition has a positive impact on players and helps them advance their knowledge of sports, cognitive skills for competition and socialization, as well as helps them to feel good in the role of players.
- Can ESports Unseat the Sports Industry? Some Preliminary Evidence from the United States, James Candela, Keith Jakee, Choregia, Volume 14(2), (December 2018). While traditional sports have dominated a segment of the entertainment industry for decades, eSports (electronic sports) have expanded to become a global phenomenon in recent years. This paper explores the likelihood of eSports surpassing traditional American sports in viewership, investment, and sponsorship. Utilizing data from media specialists and internet data aggregators, we find that certain eSports are now surpassing a number of popular sporting events in the United States, such as baseball's World Series, the National Basketball Association Finals, and hockey's Stanley Cup Finals, in terms of viewership. We discuss some of the possible reasons for the increasing appeal of eSports and suggest this trend will fundamentally change the industry as corporate sponsors and investors allocate greater amounts of advertising and resources away from traditional sports and in to burgeoning eSports.
- eSport vs. Sport: A Comparison of Spectator Motives, Pizzo, Anthony D.; Sangwon Na; Baker, Bradley J.; et.al., Sport Marketing Quarterly, Volume 27(2), (June 2018). eSports--organized video game competitions--are growing in popularity, with top tournaments drawing crowds of spectators rivaling traditional sporting events. Understanding the extent to which eSport operates similarly to traditional sport is vital to developing marketing strategies for the eSport industry and informing academic research on eSport. Prior research has examined eSports in isolation from traditional sports, overlooking direct comparisons to understand the degree to which eSport spectators are motivated similarly to traditional sport spectators. The current study measures widely-used sport consumption motives to examine their influence on eSport spectatorship and game attendance frequency. In South Korea, spectator motives across one traditional sport (soccer) and two eSport contexts (FIFA Online 3 and StarCraft II) were measured. MANOVA results identify similar patterns for 11 out of 15 motives across the three. Significant differences between contexts include vicarious achievement, excitement, physical attractiveness, and family bonding. Multiple regression analysis results show that spectators across contexts have distinct sets of motives influencing game attendance. The current study demonstrates that traditional sport and eSports are similarly consumed, suggesting that sport industry professionals can manage and market eSport events similarly to traditional sport events.
- SVG Europe Tech Webinar - ‘Winner takes all: Unlocking the opportunity in video games and esports’, SVG Europe, YouTube, (17 December 2020). During this 80-minute recording of the session, leading video games and esports experts will help you better understand how traditional media is being complemented and disrupted by the rapid growth in competitive gaming. Produced in association with Telstra and Telstra Ventures, discussions centre around how video games and esports content can help grow and engage audiences, the changing workflows for content creation and distribution, and how network demands, costs and regional complexity influence the production, testing and public release of games globally.
Broadcasting, events and commercial opportunities
There are many examples of sports organisations benefitting from commercial esports partnerships.
Participation
Esports are unique in their ability to bring people together across borders and cultures in and easy, natural way. The potential for inclusive participation and access are enormous, but it is also important to address cultural issues that may drive participants away.
Persons with disability
Esports provide an opportunity for athletes with disability to compete on the same stage as able-bodied athletes. Whilst there are barriers to participation, such as costs, travel and adapted equipment, the differences around physical ability are reduced in the esports environment.
In 2018, a study was conducted to better understand the challenges facing athletes with disability relating to esports. Some of the key findings include:
- the primary reason for athletes with a disability to play esports is for fun and to personally challenge themselves.
- Many respondents said they played for health reasons, such as managing stress, combating depression, and engaging in physical therapy for their hands. Also, about a third of respondents said they played to help with pain management.
- Unlike able-bodied gamers, they are not strongly motivated by the competitive element of games.
In 2019, the first ever esports event exclusively for athletes with disability was held in Japan and in July 2021 the International Paralympic Committee launched the first offfical Paralympic video game, 'The Pegasus Dream Tour'.
Esports in schools
Esports within Australian schools is growing in-line with demand and is beginning to replicate the competitive models of traditional school sport with the creation of teams and inter-school competitions.
In 2018, the Adelaide Crows AFL team introduced the High School Esports League (HSEL) in partnership with Riot Games (game publishers). Now called META High School Esports the competition provides a professional tournament platform for students to form teams and to compete against other schools.
Other school esports leagues have also entered the Australian market, including the Australian Esports High School League (AEHSL) and the High School Esports League Australia and New Zealand.
In August 2020, Generation Esports announced that it would expand its High School Esports League (HSEL) brand into Australia and New Zealand. As in North America, the ANZ edition of the HSEL will provide both competitive and academic opportunities to students at participating schools. Additionally, the Microsoft-sponsored HSEL Gaming Concepts curriculum will be offered in ANZ, providing learning experiences focused on social-emotional learning and digital citizenship. Generation Esports points to student Grade Point Average GPA growth of 1.4 points as well as attendance rates of 95% and up from participating students in North America.
Many schools and parents view esports in schools as an opportunity to educate users on safe use and internet safety.
There are other reported benefits to esports in schools. A study conducted by The Digital Schoolhouse (www.digitalschoolhouse.org.uk) introduced over 2,000 12-18 year old students in the UK to video gaming through esports competitions to understand any impact on the students and potential benefits to the computing and technology industry. The study revealed that over 80% of participants said the competition had increased their interest in participating in other team sports.
Access to resources
Where possible, direct links to full-text and online resources are provided. However, where links are not available, you may be able to access documents directly by searching our licenced full-text databases (note: user access restrictions apply). Alternatively, you can ask your institutional, university, or local library for assistance—or purchase documents directly from the publisher. You may also find the information you’re seeking by searching Google Scholar.
- World’s first official Paralympic video game launched, International Paralympic Committee, (23 July 2021). ‘The Pegasus Dream Tour’ available worldwide on App Store and Play Store. The development of ‘The Pegasus Dream Tour’ video game is part of the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) efforts to bring Para sports to a new and young audience. At the same time, it aims to highlight the benefits of video games to inspire positive change and tackle social issues. It has already seen real-world athletes, artists and influencers come together to raise awareness about the Paralympics.
- More than a game esports programs power up campus and community rec, Scott, Jason, Athletic Business, Volume 44(9), (November/December 2020). The article highlights a poll which found that among Gen Zers who identified as sports fans, 35 percent of them commented that they were esports fans, a mark among the cohort that outpaced such traditional sports offerings. It mentions that gaming is nothing new on college campuses, but the latest trend is professionals seeking to harness the enthusiasm for the hobby and channel it into new programs.
- ESports (videogame playing) recognised as school sport in Australia. Let the games begin, Ruth Jeanes, Michael Phillips and Neil Selwyn, EduResearch Matters, (2 September 2019). As the push for eSports in schools gathers momentum, it is crucial that education researchers begin to pay more attention. At the moment, much of the enthusiasm for educational eSports is well-meaning but under-scrutinised. There are clear educational opportunities here, but also a risk that existing problematic issues are replicated, and that some good existing practices in terms of physical sports are marginalised.
- The eSports revolution is here – what does it mean for education? Ruth Jeanes, Michael Phillips, Neil Selwyn, Monash University - Lens, (September 2019). The global eSports industry (organised competitive video game playing) is worth more than $1 billion. Given the youth appeal of eSports, schools and colleges are understandably beginning to explore the connections between eSports and education. Three education experts discuss the possible beneficial teaching and learning applications of eSport and the risks.
- Esports: The Next Big Thing for Parks and Rec, Bhatt, Neelay, Parks & Recreation, Voluem 54(9), (September 2019). The article offers information on the increasing trend of the esport and its effect on park and recreation agencies. Topics discussed include multiplayer gaming events played in a competitive environment; struggles of the park and recreation agencies with programming for teens; providing physical activity and multigenerational socialization benefits; and focusing on esports in program offering or future strategic direction.
- The world's oldest esports team is gaming their way to longer lives, Samantha Bresnahan, CNN, (4 January 2019). This is not your average group of gamers. The slogan on their black jackets reads "We've got time to kill." With an average age of 67, the Silver Snipers from Stockholm, Sweden, are the oldest esports team in the world.
- Games are there for everyone! About the inclusion through esports, eSportwissende, (2019). The increasing interest in the mass phenomenon eSports naturally includes the 10 million people with recognized disabilities in Germany. How can impaired people be included in eSports and why is especially this area suitable for the inclusion of people with disabilities?
- The secret world of disabled gamers, Emerging Technology from the arXiv, Technology Review, (2 July 2018). There is growing anecdotal evidence that many disabled people enjoy gaming and are increasingly involved in it. But little is known about who these people are, what games they play, and what challenges they face. And that is a significant barrier to improving access for the disabled. The team surveyed 230 volunteers identified through the AbleGamers Charity. Of these, 156 were male, 52 female, and 16 non-binary (six preferred not to say). Perhaps most interesting are the reasons why disabled gamers play. They say their primary reason is to have fun and to personally challenge themselves. But unlike able-bodied gamers, they are not strongly motivated by the competitive element of games. Many respondents said they played for health reasons, such as managing stress, combating depression, and engaging in physical therapy for their hands. Also, about a third of respondents said they played to help with pain management.
- The Rise of eSports: Insights Into the Perceived Benefits and Risks for College Students, Julie A. Delello, Rochell R. McWhorter, Paul Roberts, et.al, International Journal of eSports Research, Volume 1(1), (January-June 2021). The availability and affordability of increased internet bandwidth, video memory, and processing speed has enabled electronic sports (eSports) to become a flourishing global sensation, and college students are helping to drive this phenomenon. This mixed-methods study focuses on feedback from 159 college students regarding the eSports phenomenon across both gender and educational classification. Findings from the study include their eSports-related gaming and spending habits and perceptions of personal and academic benefits of playing eSports such as social interaction, teamwork, and critical thinking skills. Included are the perceived risks of playing eSports that encompassed eSports gaming addiction; mental, social, emotional risks; lack of physical activity; and physical disorders associated with playing eSports.
- Levelling up: Opportunities for sport for development to evolve through esport, Richard Loat, Journal of Sport for Development, Volume 9(1), (April 2021). As one of the most disruptive forces to the sports industry in decades, the esports industry has borrowed long standing approaches used in sport to emerge and establish itself in the sporting landscape. Esports has a growing appeal among a youth demographic that is similar to the youth demographic targeted by the Sport for Development (SFD) community. This paper examines the aspects of esports that the SFD sector can leverage to enhance program delivery to drive deeper systemic change, including leveraging gamification, harnessing the reach of mobile gaming, and capitalizing on the variety of games and consoles available to achieve nuanced SFD outcomes. The paper encourages starting increased dialogue on how video games and esport may be complementary tools for SFD organizations that want to innovate or evolve how they create and deliver impact.
- Adaptive Esports for People With Spinal Cord Injury: New Frontiers for Inclusion in Mainstream Sports Performance, Laura Tabacof, Sophie Dewil, Joseph Herrera, et.al., frontiers in Psychology, (15 April 2021). People with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) are at risk of feeling socially disconnected. Competitive esports present an opportunity for people with SCI to remotely engage in a community. The aim of this study is to discuss barriers to esports participation for people with SCI, present adaptive solutions to these problems, and analyze self-reported changes in social connection. All players experienced functional limitations as a result of their injury but managed to design personalized gaming setups with adaptive equipment that allowed them to successfully compete in esports. All players reported a positive change in perceived social connectedness (p < 0.001) after participating in the special interest group. Score on Social Connectedness Scale negatively correlated with Time since injury (years). It is feasible to create adaptive gaming setups that can be used by people with differing degrees and severity of SCI in a competitive esports environment. Technology and adaptive competitive esports have a potential to improve social connectedness and inclusion in people with quadriplegia. Further research on efficacy and effectiveness of these inclusive environments and their effects on quality of life, activity, and participation is warranted.
- E-Sports: a legitimate sport? Cerqueira, Matheus; Monteiro, Diogo; Travassos, Bruno; et.al., Cuadernos de Psicología del Deporte 2020, Volume 20(2), (2020). The article examines the legitimacy of electronic sports. It mentions that electronic sports as an area of sports activities in which people develop and train physical and mental skills in the use of information and communication technologies. It also mentions about the psychological and physical health of electronic sports.
- Esports as a new playground, Baltezarević, Borivoje; Baltezarević, Vesna, Facta Universitatis: Series Physical Education & Sport, Volume 17(1), (2019). With the emergence of digital media, traditional sport got computer platforms as a new kind of gaming space. eSports, as a modern form of gaming, has become an inevitable part of the digital game culture. The aim of this research is to determine if there is a connection between playing eSports video games and sport knowledge, competition skills, social interaction, skill building for problem solving and pleasurable stimulation which leads to emotional well-being. The survey encompassed 256 respondents who filled out a questionnaire that provided answers to questions that enabled us to look at the attitudes of respondents who were tested in relation to the hypotheses set out in this paper. The research has shown that respondents believe that this type of game and the amateur competition has a positive impact on players and helps them advance their knowledge of sports, cognitive skills for competition and socialization, as well as helps them to feel good in the role of players.
- eSport or the disembodiment of sports - A threat to PE classes? Hofmann, A. R., International Journal of Physical Education 2019 3rd Quarter, Volume 56(3), (2019). In this contribution first insights into the present development of and discussion on eSport and to what extent eSport has already become part of educational institutions in general will be shown. The second part will relate to physical education. So far this is a field that has hardly been discussed in academia in the context of eSport or eGames: What if the big international players in sports such as the IOC, FIFA or national sports federations should one day officially accept eSport as a 'real sport', as has already been the case in some countries? What impact might eSport have on physical education; will competitive digital games eventually become part of the physical education curriculum? Thus, it will be argued that through accepting eSport as a bona fide 'sport', there is an enormous danger of a disembodiment of sports, physical activity and physical education. For the latter this means the loss of certain pedagogical perspectives. For the argumentation, a pedagogical-anthropological approach is being adopted. Before doing so, I will offer a short insight as to what extent eSport has already become part of educational institutions in general.
- E-sports versus physical activity among adolescents, Szépné, Henrietta Varga; Csernoch, László; Balatoni, Ildikó, Baltic Journal of Health & Physical Activity, Volume 11, (2019 Supplement). While physical activity is believed to be essential for a healthy lifestyle, younger generations seem to spend less time playing sports. On the other hand, in the past couple of years a new type of sports, e-sports has emerged. Though one cannot question that e-sports requires intense concentration and a lot of practice, whether it needs appropriate physical fitness is still debated. Material and methods: A survey was conducted in Debrecen, in the teacher-training high school of the University of Debrecen with the help of interviewers. Beyond socio-demographic data individual sporting and e-sporting habits were assessed in a gender specific context. Results: 563 respondents were included in the survey, with an average age of 15.9 ±1.4 years (mean±SD). The respondents reported an average free-time of 3.2 ±1.6 and 6.5 ±1.7 hours on weekdays and weekends, respectively, with boys having a half an hour more free-time. While only 22.7% of the girls play video-games, this is 85.5% in the case of boys. The percentage of youth engaged in daily out-ofschool physical activities was 22.9%, but those who do out-of-school sports 2-3 times a week the ratio was 89.5%. Conclusions: While most of the students participate in regular physical activities, they spend a significant amount of their free-time playing video-games. Not only is this time less for girls than for boys, girls report less free-time and less time spent doing physical activity than boys.
- Women’s Experiences in eSports: Gendered Differences in Peer and Spectator Feedback During Competitive Video Game Play, Ruvalcaba, Omar; Shulze, Jeffrey; Kim, Angela; Berzenski, et.al., Journal of Sport & Social Issues, Volume 42(4), (August 2018). Despite the growing popularity of eSports, the poor representation of women players points to a need to understand the experiences of female players during competitive gaming online. The present study focuses on female gamers’ experiences with positive and negative feedback and sexual harassment in the male-dominated space of eSports. In Study 1, gender differences were analyzed in online gamers’ experience with feedback from other players and spectators during online play. In Study 2, gender differences were analyzed in observations of real gameplay that focused on the types of comments spectators directed toward female and male gamers on Twitch (a popular video game streaming website). The findings suggest a mixed experience for women that includes more sexual harassment in online gaming compared with men.
- Positive Personal Development through eSports, Amelia Carbonie, Zixiu Guo, Michael Cahalane, Twenty-Second Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems, Japan, (2018). This research-in-progress paper investigates the personal development players experience from eSports participation by identifying the benefits that players gain from play, and why these are important to players. This study utilises a qualitative methodology consisting of semi-structured laddering interviews, and content analysis to analyse data. 12 high level groups, split into 8 benefits and 4 values, were identified of importance to players, with the attainment of these benefits allowing eSports players to achieve their values. The initial identification of benefits and values contribute towards IS literature by understanding how benefits can drive player participation in eSports, and how benefits are tied to players’ values. The results of this study can also be leveraged to promote eSports to external audiences to improve its legitimacy and perception
Participation
Esports can provide an inclusive participation environment, removing barriers to participation, allowing for greater consumer control and new entry points.
Performance improvement and health
Despite a perception to the contrary, many professional esports athletes enjoy an active and healthy lifestyle and follow structured routines to maintain competitiveness. Research in the BMJ Open Sport and Exercise reported that esports players were just as likely to have overuse injuries as a traditional athlete. General physical activity/exercise not only wards off physical vulnerability, but also keeps coordination and reflexes from degrading. With extensive social media followers (Anathan Pham, a professional Australian esports player, has over 100,000 followers on Twitter), many players and teams, promote this lifestyle through online channels.
Access to resources
Where possible, direct links to full-text and online resources are provided. However, where links are not available, you may be able to access documents directly by searching our licenced full-text databases (note: user access restrictions apply). Alternatively, you can ask your institutional, university, or local library for assistance—or purchase documents directly from the publisher. You may also find the information you’re seeking by searching Google Scholar.
- Regeneration in esports: improvements by pause? eSportwissende, (2021). Hours of focus and full concentration in front of the screen every day. It is quite usual for eSports players to have a day like this. However, those who run at full speed every day also need time off to recover. In the following, we will give you a brief overview of what regeneration should look like and how you can actively boost it.
- Esport study 2021 - the diet of German esport players, eSportwissende, (2021). This year’s survey focused on nutrition, for which we interviewed over 800 eSports amateurs and professionals.Overall, the predominantly male target group (86 percent) has a varied nutrition. The results show that the limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic have only a marginal effect on the health behavior of the participants. The average physical activity of nine and a half hours per week is significantly higher than the physical activity recommendations of the WHO. The physical activity is particularly important in view ofthe long periods of sitting of the eSports players. While eSports professionals spend an average of 36.5 hours a week playing, lower performance level playersstill sit 20 to 25 hours a week in front of a console or computer in addition to school or work. Most of this time is invested in playing so-called co-op PvP or PvP games. However, it is still encouraging that both health and well-being are rated as good by almost all respondents – as in previous years – despite the restrictions imposed by the existing pandemic.
- Fit gamers challenge ‘fat’ stereotype, new esports research, QUT, (30 November 2020). Esports players are up to 21 per cent healthier weight than the general population, hardly smoke and drink less too, says a new QUT study. QUT esports researcher Michael Trotter said the results were surprising considering global obesity levels. “As part of their training regime, elite esports athletes spend more than an hour per day engaging in physical exercise as a strategy to enhance gameplay and manage stress,” he said. “Only top-level players surveyed met physical activity guidelines, with the best players exercising on average four days a week,” the PhD student said. However, the study found 4.03 per cent of esports players were more likely to be morbidly obese compared to the global population. Mr Trotter said strategies should be developed to support players classed at the higher end of BMI categories.
- Esport study 2020 - Well-being and recovery, eSportwissende, (2020). This year’s survey focused on the topics “well-being” and “recovery”, on which we interviewed over 1200 eSports amateurs and professionals. The vast majority of those surveyed rate their own health as good or very good. However, the picture is much more mixed when it comes to the stress levels of eSports players. Whereas some 2 percent suffer from high levels of stress, about 47 percent say they suffer only moderate levels of stress. It is noticeable that the more time is invested in gaming, the worse the individual health perception tends to be. Furthermore, gaming has an effect on sleep behavior. According to the study, one player in six often stays up later than planned to play games. Around 80 percent of all respondents meet or exceed the World Health Organization’s exercise recommendations of 2.5 hours per week. This represents an increase of 16 percentage points compared to the previous year.
- Results and training recommendations for eathletes, eSportwissende, (2019). With Germany’s first eSport performance test, we have measured eSport-professionals, eSport-amateurs and sportsmen in selected skills relevant for eSport. In approximately 200 hours of testing, about 3000 datafiles were collected. Exciting results can be observed in the group comparisons. Based on these results, we will give initial training recommendations.
- The world's oldest esports team is gaming their way to longer lives, Samantha Bresnahan, CNN, (4 January 2019). This is not your average group of gamers. The slogan on their black jackets reads "We've got time to kill." With an average age of 67, the Silver Snipers from Stockholm, Sweden, are the oldest esports team in the world.
- Exercise Guidelines for Esports Athletes, Jake Middleton, Acer, (2018). The benefits of exercise cannot be overstated. Some health benefits include improved mental health, alleviated symptoms of depression and anxiety, increased productivity, improved quality of sleep, and reduced risk of injury. Exercising offers physical and mental adaptations that can improve esports performance, such as improved cognitive performance, mental and physical endurance, and resistance to stress. This article offers exercise guidelines aimed at helping players incorporate exercise into their everyday lives.
- The New Frontier of Esports and Gaming: A Scoping Meta-Review of Health Impacts and Research Agenda, Kelly S; Leung J, Frontiers in sports and active living, Volume 3, (March 2021). Given the rapid evolution of the gaming industry and the rising popularity of a hyper-connected, competitive esports version of online gaming, a meta-review of the impact of online competitive gaming upon health is timely. A scoping meta-review was conducted on 10 reviews that reported on any health consequences (physical, lifestyle, cognitive, mental, or social) of esports, online competitive gaming, or video gaming participation, as a player or spectator. While past reviews have examined health effects of video gaming, few have focused upon the newly evolved gaming context, incorporating both playing and streamed viewing, recognition as a professional sport, and potential career and exponential participation. Most past reviews have focused upon physical health impacts of video gaming among adolescents and young adults, but none have examined impacts of different forms of gaming participation in the new gaming era, and their potential differential health impacts. A scoping meta-review was undertaken on the physical, social, and psychological health outcomes of competitive online gaming and associated screen use, revealing a need for further review and research into lifestyle health outcomes including diet and sedentary behavior among young esports and competitive video gaming participants.
- Physical Activity Levels of Adult Virtual Football Players, Ana M. Pereira, Evert Verhagen, Pedro Figueiredo, et.al., Frontiers in Psychology, (March 2021). We aimed to perform a preliminary evaluation of the levels of physical activity, sedentarism, and habits of physical training of adults engaged with virtual football in Portugal. This was a cross-sectional investigation based on a structured online survey using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and a set of questions regarding habits of physical training. The participants (n = 433) reported spending a median of 5,625 MET-min⋅week−1 being physically active. Still, the participants spent 320 min/day sitting, and 150 min/day practicing virtual football. According to the IPAQ scores, high physical activity levels were reported by 84.5% of the participants, and 87.1% were considered physically active considering the WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior. Overall, 60.0% of the participants reported planning their own physical training. Maintaining or improving overall physical health was one of the main reasons for doing physical training (66.7%), with only 6.1% responding being active to improve virtual football performance. Overall, the results showed that virtual football players accomplished the standard recommendations for physical activity, with high levels of physical activity, and encompassing regular physical training focused mostly on health promotion, rather than improved virtual football performance.
- Comparison of Reaction Time Between eSports Players of Different Genres and Sportsmen, Bickmann, P., Wechsler, K., Rudolf, K., Tholl, C., Froböse, I., & Grieben, C. International Journal of eSports Research, 1(1), pp.1-16, (2021). Quick reactions are considered important in both traditional and electronic sports, and research findings suggest that reaction time can be optimized by both sports activity and playing action video games. In this study, reaction and motor times of 18 professional and 21 non-professional eSports players from different genres and 36 non-professional traditional sportsmen were compared using the Vienna Test System. No differences between the groups were found in simple visual, acoustic, and choice reaction times. Differentiated by game genre, players from sports simulations had significantly shorter reaction times than MOBA players in the acoustic and choice reaction test. The results of this study suggest that traditional sports and eSports may improve reaction times to a similar amount. Furthermore, various game genres require different reaction times or may affect related abilities in different ways.
- Influence of Esports on stress: A systematic review, Palanichamy T; Sharma MK; Sahu M; Kanchana DM, Industrial psychiatry journal, pp.191-199, (July-December 2020). Esports is an electronic sport known as competitive video gaming, which has seen tremendous growth over the past few years. Unlike traditional sports such as hockey, baseball, and soccer, Esports is an interconnection of multiple platforms, computing, gaming, and media into a sport event. A systematic review was conducted to collate and review all the research studies concerning Esports from a health perspective and analyze various physical and psychological distress regarding Esports. Relevant published papers were identified through the electronic databases Google Scholar, PubMed, and Research Gate. As a result of the systematic research review, seven articles were identified that investigated three major domains (i) Esports and physical issues, (ii) Esports and psychological distress, and (iii) Esports and addiction. The result indicated that Esports excessive play and its competitive nature lead to physical and psychological problems. Physical issues include eye fatigue, blurry vision, low back pain, tension headache, wrist pain, hand pain, and poor posture while gaming. Psychological issues include depression, anxiety, apathy, uncooperative attitude, tense, sleep disturbances, mental distress, aggressive affect and behaviors, distress in social life, and emotional disturbances. The studies also found that long hours of online gaming was associated with the presence of depression, social phobia, obsession-compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, psychoticism attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and gaming addiction. This review draws insight into the problematic side of Esports and suggested that future studies must focus on the interventions to deal with the negative impact of Esports.
- The Association between Esports Participation, Health and Physical Activity Behaviour, Michael G Trotter, Tristan J. Coulter, Paul A Davis, et.al., International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Volume 17(19), (October 2020). We investigated the association between obesity, self-reported physical activity, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and perceived health in esports players, and the influence of player in-game rank. Data was collected with an online survey with an international participant sample of esports players representing five esports and all skill levels (n = 1772). Esports players were more likely to be categorized as normal weight, or obesity class 2 and 3 and as non-smokers (92%) and non-drinkers (65.1%) compared to international reference data. Esports players met international physical activity guidelines less than global general population. Esports players ranked in the top 10% were more physically active compared to the remaining esports players. As esports player in-game rank increased, so did the amount of time spent playing esports. Although esports players appear generally healthy, a small group was significantly obese and most esports players did not meet physical activity guidelines, indicating potential future health risks.
- Video games and their associations with physical health: a scoping review, Huard Pelletier V, Lessard A, Piché F, et.al., BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, Volume 6(1), (October 2020). A scoping review was conducted to identify observational and experimental studies pertaining to our research question. Retrieved papers were screened using a two-phase method first involving a selection based on titles and abstracts. Then, potentially relevant studies were read and triaged. The final set of included studies was analysed, and data were subsequently extracted. Observational studies and experimental studies were assessed using the appropriate Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool and data were synthetised according to specific physical health and related health behaviours. The results suggest an association between increased video game playing time and a deterioration in some physical health indicators but available evidence is scarce, precluding from any strong conclusion.
- Esports players, got muscle? Competitive video game players’ physical activity, body fat, bone mineral content, and muscle mass in comparison to matched controls, Joanne Di Francisco-Donoghue, William Werner, Peter Douris, et.al., Journal of Sport and Health Science, (July 2020). The purpose of this study was to investigate activity levels, body mass index (BMI), and body composition in collegiate esports players as compared to age-matched controls. Twenty-four male collegiate esports players and non-esports players between 18 and 25 years of age signed a written consent to participate. Physical activity was examined using daily activity (step count) with a wrist-worn activity tracker. A questionnaire assessing physical activity was also administered. Secondary outcomes included body-fat percentage, lean-body mass, BMI, and bone mineral content measured using dual X-ray absorptiometry. As compared to non-esports players, collegiate esports players were significantly less active and had a higher body-fat percentage, with lower lean body mass and bone mineral content. The BMIs showed no difference between the 2 groups. Esports athletes displayed significantly less activity and poor body composition, which are all correlated with potential health issues and risk of injury. BMI did not capture this difference and should not be considered an accurate measure of health in competitive esports players.
- Stress and Coping in Esports and the Influence of Mental Toughness, Dylan Poulus, Tristan Coulter, Michael Trotter, et.al., Frontiers in Psychology, (April 2020). This study explored stress and coping in electronic sports (esports) athletes and the influence of mental toughness (MT), as defined by two prominent conceptualizations: the 4/6Cs and Mental Toughness Index (MTI) frameworks. Participants were 316 esports athletes, ranked in the top 40% of one of five major esports: Defense of the Ancients 2, League of Legends (LoL), Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch and Rainbow Six: Siege. Participants completed the MTI, Mental Toughness Questionnaire 6 (MTQ6), Stress Appraisal Measure, and Brief COPE inventory. Results showed that MT (via both MT frameworks) was associated with perceived control, and MTQ6 subscales were associated with stress intensity. Mental toughness (both frameworks) was associated with the selection of more problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies and less avoidance coping strategies. The results indicate there is some overlap between the MT and stress-coping process in high-performing traditional sports and competitive esports athletes. These results suggest that esports athletes could benefit from sports psychology interventions designed for traditional sports athletes. Finally, the MTQ6 and MTI had low shared variance (20%), suggesting that the two questionnaires appear to measure different aspects of MT.
- Demographics and Health Behavior of Video Game and eSports Players in Germany: The eSports Study 2019, Kevin Rudolf, Peter Bickmann, Ingo Froböse, et.al., International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Volume 17(6), (March 2020). The present study examines the demographics and health behavior of video game and eSports players. In this cross-sectional study, data on demographics, health status, physical activity, nutrition, sleep, and video game usage were assessed via a web-based survey of n = 1066 players (91.9% male; 22.9 ± 5.9 years; body mass index (BMI): 24.6 ± 4.8 kg/m²) in Germany in 2018. The majority of respondents (95%) reported a good to excellent health status. Two thirds (66.9%) engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity for more than 2.5 h/week. The average duration of sitting and sleep time was 7.7 ± 3.6 h/day and 7.1 ± 1.3 h/day, respectively. Mean fruit and vegetable consumption was 2.7 ± 1.8 portions/day. Video games were played for 24.4 ± 15.9 h/week on average. Partial Spearman correlations revealed poor positive associations of video game play time to sedentary behavior (rho = 0.15; p < 0.01) and BMI (rho = 0.11; p < 0.01), as well as a poor negative association to self-reported health status (rho = −0.14; p < 0.01). These results indicate the good subjective health of this target group. Nevertheless, the high amount of video game play time and its poor negative association to health status indicate a need for specific health promotion strategies for this target group.
- E-Sports: a legitimate sport? Cerqueira, Matheus; Monteiro, Diogo; Travassos, Bruno; et.al., Cuadernos de Psicología del Deporte 2020, Volume 20(2), (2020). The article examines the legitimacy of electronic sports. It mentions that electronic sports as an area of sports activities in which people develop and train physical and mental skills in the use of information and communication technologies. It also mentions about the psychological and physical health of electronic sports.
- Virtual sports deserve real sports medical attention, Ana Monteiro Pereira, João Brito, Pedro Figueiredo, et.al., BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, Volume 5(1), (December 2019). As the popularity and stakes rise, concerns about the health and emerging risks of eSports participation might arise. Indeed, in the absence of proper descriptive data about the specific characteristics of the eSports population (including factors such as screen time, physical activity, overuse injuries or training environment), effective prevention and care cannot be developed nor provided. Therefore, quality healthcare and prevention strategies are needed. In the current viewpoint, we argue that those involved with Sports Science and Medicine should lead the discussion and reflect on the health effects of eSports participation, providing scientifically-based arguments to better answer to the current eSports professionalism.
- Managing the health of the eSport athlete: an integrated health management model, DiFrancisco-Donoghue J, Balentine J, Schmidt G, et.al., BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, Volume 5(1), (January 2019). eSport players, just like athletes in traditional sports, are susceptible to overuse injuries. The most common complaint was eye fatigue, followed by neck and back pain. This study shows eSport athletes are also prone to wrist and hand pain. This paper proposes a health management model that offers a comprehensive medical team approach to prevent and treat eSport athletes.
- E-sports versus physical activity among adolescents, Szépné, Henrietta Varga; Csernoch, László; Balatoni, Ildikó, Baltic Journal of Health & Physical Activity, Volume 11, (2019 Supplement). While physical activity is believed to be essential for a healthy lifestyle, younger generations seem to spend less time playing sports. On the other hand, in the past couple of years a new type of sports, e-sports has emerged. Though one cannot question that e-sports requires intense concentration and a lot of practice, whether it needs appropriate physical fitness is still debated. Material and methods: A survey was conducted in Debrecen, in the teacher-training high school of the University of Debrecen with the help of interviewers. Beyond socio-demographic data individual sporting and e-sporting habits were assessed in a gender specific context. Results: 563 respondents were included in the survey, with an average age of 15.9 ±1.4 years (mean±SD). The respondents reported an average free-time of 3.2 ±1.6 and 6.5 ±1.7 hours on weekdays and weekends, respectively, with boys having a half an hour more free-time. While only 22.7% of the girls play video-games, this is 85.5% in the case of boys. The percentage of youth engaged in daily out-ofschool physical activities was 22.9%, but those who do out-of-school sports 2-3 times a week the ratio was 89.5%. Conclusions: While most of the students participate in regular physical activities, they spend a significant amount of their free-time playing video-games. Not only is this time less for girls than for boys, girls report less free-time and less time spent doing physical activity than boys.
- Understanding Esports from the Perspective of Team Dynamics, Wanyi Tang, The Sport Journal, (July 2018). This paper provides an overview of the esports industry and outlines recent development in esports research, with a focus on studies concerning impacts of team dynamics on performance. The characteristics of successful esports teams are identified through discussion on the variety of team resources and composition, the conceptualization of team cohesion in different dimensions, and the functions of communication and social support within a high performing team. It is also understood that participation in esports not only requires teamwork and communication skills, but can also serve as an opportunity for players to develop a variety of life and social skills.
- eSport: Friend or Foe? Polman, R, Trotter, M, Poulus, D, Borkoles, E., Lecture Notes in Computer Science, (2018). This paper discusses the potential of eSport to influence health outcomes across the lifespan and address some of the major barriers that will help individuals to change their physical activity behaviours. Considering the exponential growth in eSport, it is important for academics and policy makers to recognise and seize the opportunities arising from eSport.
Performance improvement and health
Despite a perception to the contrary, many professional esports athletes enjoy an active and healthy lifestyle and follow structured routines to remain competitive.
Integrity in esports
As esports becomes more mainstream, there has been a growing emergence of integrity issues that have traditionally intersected with sports, including, doping, exploitation, gender inequality, harassment and behavioural issues, match fixing/corruption, and age appropriateness of games (i.e. many of the most popular games are war/shooting games which are generally not suitable for younger age groups). As these integrity issues become more prevalent within the esports ecosystem there is a call for more regulatory measures.
With the absence of an agreed international governing body for esports, the drive for regulation is challenging. The International Esports Federation (IESF) has established itself as a global peak governing body with a mission to “promote electronic sports as true sports.” The IESF identifies integrity as a key issue for esports.
Meanwhile in 2016, the World Esports Association (WESA) was founded by the Electronic Sports League (world’s largest esports company) and several prominent esports teams. The WESA has a vision to “create an authentic framework to support and amplify the sustainable growth of esports”
Also in 2016, the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) was established to “take responsibility for disruption, prevention, investigation and prosecution of all forms of cheating in esports, including, but limited to, match manipulation and doping.” ESIC has developed a set of integrity-based principles and codes of conduct to guide the esports community and has been successful in implementing bans to players in contravention of the codes. However, it is not clear what impact ESIC might have on non-players such as game developers or publishers.
The ESIC list several supporters to establish its credibility, including Intel, UK Gambling Commission, Skybet and ESL, founders of the WESA.
Integrity concerns have plagued the esports industry from both a viewer and player perspective and there have been several scandals in recent years. This includes an investigation into suspicious betting activity, relating to an esports league in Australia, by the Victoria Police Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit in August 2019.
Some of the key integrity issues for esports include:
Match-fixing and illegal sports betting
Similar to traditional sports, esports has match-fixing issues connected to live betting. This is experienced across the genres and includes high profile incidents such as the prosecution of world champion Lee Seung-Hyun for throwing matches in 2016.
The complexities of working across multiple platforms and games create significant challenges in identifying match-fixing and the ESIC believes the industry does not yet have the technology to be completely successful in tackling this issue. Both the ESIC and WESA are focussing on education and improving the fraud detection systems.
Doping
Problems with esports athletes doping to increase concentration, calm nerves, reduce fatigue and boost reaction times have become more prevalent as esports grows and prize money increases. Testing at major competitions has been implemented and ESIC has encouraged global anti-doping organisations to provide more support. In 2015, the Electronic Sports League issued a banned substance list and the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA) issued warnings that any esports player caught using banned substances would be punished. However, the enforcement of this has been relatively non-existent.
The ESIC lists WADA as a partner but it is not clear what steps are being taken at this time.
Misconduct
There is a growing number of incidents of professional players being fined or suspended for using racist or homophobic slurs and, whilst esports promote a zero-tolerance approach to tackle this, the lack of a single governing body or code of conduct make this integrity issue difficult to manage.
Violence
Esports are renowned for the depiction of violence within some popular titles and this is one of the main barriers for Olympic and Paralympic inclusion. Violence is not the only issue as some games include images of drug use, alcohol abuse and sexual activity. The Australian Classification Board has banned several games from sale within Australia, with many others classified suitable only for 15+ or 18+ audiences.
Addiction
The dangers of gaming addiction have come under the spotlight as governments and parents seek to protect youth from spending too much time in front of screens. It has become such a concern in South Korea that the government had to intervene.
South Korea is probably the most mature esports environment in the world. Esports permeates South Korean culture and accounts for nearly 15% of the global gaming market. In 2011, the government recognised the country had a problem with young people being addicted to gaming and introduced the ‘Cinderella law’ which forbids children under the age of 16 from playing computer games between midnight and 6am.
Future regulation
Without a single recognised international governing body for esports, the management of risks is challenging and lacks the influence and leadership to introduce the required structure and regulation. The introduction of organisations such WESA, ESIC, IESF or the AESA in Australia provide the bones for a structured industry but still lack the overall authority to make an impact.
As the esports industry grows, the opportunity for integrity transgressions will multiply and the requirement for recognised leadership will increase. This includes having the weight to influence key stakeholder groups such as the game developers and publishers; between which sits ownership of the games’ rights and control of the esports leagues.
Access to resources
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- Women in professional esports navigate hyper masculinity and harassment, Associated Press, MarketWatch, (3 January 2019). The industry has grappled with harassment and toxic behavior since the Gamergate scandal of 2014, when a group of male gamers organized to target women throughout the industry. The Entertainment Software Association reported this year that 45 percent of U.S. gamers are female, yet women make up a scant portion of the professional esports player pool. Executives for games like “League of Legends” and “Overwatch” say they are eager to add women to pro rosters, where players can make hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yet LoL’s Championship Series hasn’t had a female gamer since 2016, and the Overwatch League’s inaugural season featured just one.
- Gender in eSports research: a literature review, Egil Trasti Rogstad, European Journal for Sport and Society, (2 June 2021). The popularity of eSports has skyrocketed recently, prompting increasing academic attention. However, reflecting the male-dominated reality of the eSports industry, most research is focused on men. Decades of research on gender in the context of technology and computer gaming present a valid cause for concern regarding how women and other minority individuals in these settings have been and remain oppressed. This article presents a traditional narrative review of how the theoretical concept of hegemonic masculinity is used to understand gendered power inequalities in eSports in the research literature. The review reveals that research that focuses on gender and eSports revolves around three main themes: (1) issues of the construction of masculinity, (2) online harassment, and (3) negotiations of gendered expectations. Based on a discussion of gendered power inequalities within these themes, the review concludes that although eSports and traditional sports are clearly different, they discursively link masculinity, athleticism, and competition very similarly. This has significant implications for women and minority players, which in turn calls for more research on how masculinity is regaining dominance despite the increasing participation of girls and women within eSports.
- The Pros and Cons of Online Competitive Gaming: An Evidence-Based Approach to Assessing Young Players' Well-Being, Kelly S; Magor T; Wright A, Frontiers in Psychology, Volume 12, (May 2021). This research addresses a lack of evidence on the positive and negative health outcomes of competitive online gaming and esports, particularly among young people and adolescents. Well-being outcomes, along with mitigation strategies were measured through a cross sectional survey of Australian gamers and non-gamers aged between 12 and 24 years, and parents of the 12-17-year-olds surveyed. Adverse health consequences were associated with heavy gaming, more so than light/casual gaming, suggesting that interventions that target moderated engagement could be effective. It provides timely insights in an online gaming landscape that has rapidly evolved over the past decade, and particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, to include the hyper-connected, highly commercialized and rapidly growing online gaming and esports sector.
- The New Frontier of Esports and Gaming: A Scoping Meta-Review of Health Impacts and Research Agenda, Kelly S; Leung J, Frontiers in sports and active living, Volume 3, (March 2021). Given the rapid evolution of the gaming industry and the rising popularity of a hyper-connected, competitive esports version of online gaming, a meta-review of the impact of online competitive gaming upon health is timely. A scoping meta-review was conducted on 10 reviews that reported on any health consequences (physical, lifestyle, cognitive, mental, or social) of esports, online competitive gaming, or video gaming participation, as a player or spectator. While past reviews have examined health effects of video gaming, few have focused upon the newly evolved gaming context, incorporating both playing and streamed viewing, recognition as a professional sport, and potential career and exponential participation. Most past reviews have focused upon physical health impacts of video gaming among adolescents and young adults, but none have examined impacts of different forms of gaming participation in the new gaming era, and their potential differential health impacts. A scoping meta-review was undertaken on the physical, social, and psychological health outcomes of competitive online gaming and associated screen use, revealing a need for further review and research into lifestyle health outcomes including diet and sedentary behavior among young esports and competitive video gaming participants.
- Influence of Esports on stress: A systematic review, Palanichamy T; Sharma MK; Sahu M; Kanchana DM, Industrial psychiatry journal, pp.191-199, (July-December 2020). Esports is an electronic sport known as competitive video gaming, which has seen tremendous growth over the past few years. Unlike traditional sports such as hockey, baseball, and soccer, Esports is an interconnection of multiple platforms, computing, gaming, and media into a sport event. A systematic review was conducted to collate and review all the research studies concerning Esports from a health perspective and analyze various physical and psychological distress regarding Esports. Relevant published papers were identified through the electronic databases Google Scholar, PubMed, and Research Gate. As a result of the systematic research review, seven articles were identified that investigated three major domains (i) Esports and physical issues, (ii) Esports and psychological distress, and (iii) Esports and addiction. The result indicated that Esports excessive play and its competitive nature lead to physical and psychological problems. Physical issues include eye fatigue, blurry vision, low back pain, tension headache, wrist pain, hand pain, and poor posture while gaming. Psychological issues include depression, anxiety, apathy, uncooperative attitude, tense, sleep disturbances, mental distress, aggressive affect and behaviors, distress in social life, and emotional disturbances. The studies also found that long hours of online gaming was associated with the presence of depression, social phobia, obsession-compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, psychoticism attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and gaming addiction. This review draws insight into the problematic side of Esports and suggested that future studies must focus on the interventions to deal with the negative impact of Esports.
- The Playing Experiences of Esports Participants: An Analysis of Hostility and Treatment Discrimination in Esports Environments, Darvin, Lindsey; Vooris, Ryan; Mahoney, Tara, Journal of Athlete Development & Experience, Volume 2(1), (March 2020). The esports industry has seen rapid growth over the previous decade with additional opportunities for participants to compete in competitive and casual environments. As such, the sport industry has taken notice of this increase in popularity and exposure for esports. A recent call to arms by sport management scholars suggests that the field of sport management needs to broaden research endeavors to include analyses of esports and esports spaces. To that end, this investigation serves as one of the first that investigates the playing experiences of esports participants, with a particular focus on the presence of discrimination and hostility in playing environments for men and women competitors. Previous events within the esports industry, such as the now infamous harassment of female gamers known as "Gamergate," suggest that female esports players may experience discrimination and hostility at higher rates than their male counterparts. Guided by the frameworks of hegemonic masculinity and treatment discrimination, this investigation gauged the experiences of men and women esports participants with discrimination and hostility in esports playing environments. Results indicated that female esports participants reported experiencing instances of treatment discrimination more frequently than their male counterparts, while male participants reported experiencing hostility more frequently. Results aim to assist the esports industry as well as sport management scholars in guiding new policy to create inclusive spaces for esports enthusiasts and career hopefuls.
- Esports and its reinforcement of gender divides, N. S., KRUTHIKA, Marquette Sports Law Review, Volume 30(2), (Spring 2020). The article discusses esports and its reinforcement of gender divides. Topics include electronic gaming or eSports, where physical attributes are not as necessary, are still divided by gender; however, despite the fact that computers, game consoles, and even virtual reality technology have been introduced to appeal to genders equally, the majority of players still tend to be men; and it addresses male dominance in esports industry and examines strategies to encourage more female participation.
- Managing the health of the eSport athlete: an integrated health management model, DiFrancisco-Donoghue J, Balentine J, Schmidt G, et.al., BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, Volume 5(1), (January 2019). eSport players, just like athletes in traditional sports, are susceptible to overuse injuries. The most common complaint was eye fatigue, followed by neck and back pain. This study shows eSport athletes are also prone to wrist and hand pain. This paper proposes a health management model that offers a comprehensive medical team approach to prevent and treat eSport athletes.
- Women’s Experiences in eSports: Gendered Differences in Peer and Spectator Feedback During Competitive Video Game Play, Ruvalcaba, Omar; Shulze, Jeffrey; Kim, Angela; Berzenski, et.al., Journal of Sport & Social Issues, Volume 42(4), (August 2018). Despite the growing popularity of eSports, the poor representation of women players points to a need to understand the experiences of female players during competitive gaming online. The present study focuses on female gamers’ experiences with positive and negative feedback and sexual harassment in the male-dominated space of eSports. In Study 1, gender differences were analyzed in online gamers’ experience with feedback from other players and spectators during online play. In Study 2, gender differences were analyzed in observations of real gameplay that focused on the types of comments spectators directed toward female and male gamers on Twitch (a popular video game streaming website). The findings suggest a mixed experience for women that includes more sexual harassment in online gaming compared with men.
Integrity
As esports become more mainstream, there has been an emergence of integrity issues that have traditionally intersected with sports.
Evaluated by:
Neil Burgin, Director, Australian Sports Commission
Reviewed by: Australasian Sport Information Network
Last updated: 17 August 2021
Content disclaimer: See Clearinghouse for Sport disclaimer
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