The Psychology of Esports: A Systematic Literature Review (original) (raw)
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Recently, the skill involved in playing and mastering video games has led to the professionalization of the activity in the form of 'esports' (electronic sports). The aim of the present paper was to review the main topics of psychological interest about esports and then to examine the similarities of esports to professional and problem gambling. As a result of a systematic literature search, eight studies were identified that had investigated three topics: (1) the process of becoming an esport player, (2) the characteristics of esport players such as mental skills and motivations, and (3) the motivations of esport spectators. These findings draw attention to the new research field of professional video game playing and provides some preliminary insight into the psychology of esports players. The paper also examines the similarities between esport players and professional gamblers (and more specifically poker players). It is suggested that future research should focus on esport play-ers' psychological vulnerability because some studies have begun to investigate the difference between problematic and professional gambling and this might provide insights into whether the playing of esports could also be potentially problematic for some players.
The convergence of digital technologies, sport, and gambling industry has multiplied the possible combinations of products that, having originated in one field, have evolved into something different. This article briefly examines eSports and gambling, as well as a brief examination of the convergence between professional gambling and professional video game playing.
Setting the scientific stage for esports psychology: a systematic review
International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology , 2020
Competitive gaming, better known as electronic sports (esports), is rapidly growing in popularity. We systematically reviewed the available literature regarding the psychological aspects of esports using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) evidence-based reporting checklist and a Population, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcomes (PICO) framework with the following inclusion criteria: (i) published between 1994 and 2018; (ii) empirical investigation (as the current state of research is dense with positions and opinions but has few empirical investigations); and (iii) focussed on esports games that are associated with either cognitive performance or game performance. The goal of our research was twofold: to present a summary of the empirical evidence addressing the psychological characteristics of both cognitive and game performance in esports, and to integrate esports in the field of sport psychology. More specifically, our goals were to highlight the interplay of psychological aspects of performance and esports and to clearly define the theoretical foundations of the psychological aspects of esports performance. Underlining the differences from video gaming will inform future research directions and stimulate the development of highquality practice in the applied field of sports and exercise psychology.
Gamers Who Gamble: Examining the Relationship Between Esports Spectatorship and Event Wagering
Journal of Emerging Sport Studies, 2020
During recent years, while electronic sports (esports) has increasingly become a positive mainstream cultural phenomenon, it also may have several socioeconomic implications, such as the growth of esports betting. Much like betting in sport, betting on esports has become a prominent form of gambling. However, there is still a paucity of knowledge on the demographic characteristics of this gambling cohort, particularly in regard to its relationship to video game play and spectatorship. In the present study, past-year video gamers (N = 1368) completed an online survey. Survey questions inquired about their esports event spectating, video game play, and esports betting behaviours, as well as general demographic questions. Video gamers who bet on esports were a distinct cohort from their counterparts: younger, more likely to be male, lower frequency of video game play, higher frequency of esports spectatorship, and more likely to watch esports in a social setting (e.g., with others). By providing a background on gamers' behaviours this work contributes to the growing body of research into the dynamic profile of esports play, spectatorship, and gambling. Findings are reflective of the growing interrelation of gambling and gaming behaviours, a subject garnering increasing attention from governments, regulatory agencies, public health specialists and clinicians, and the related industries themselves.
2018
Research question: This study investigates three issues associated to the growing industry of eSports: the picture of participants in eSports and the correlates of the intensity of this participation; the complementary/substitutability relationship between eSports and traditional sports; and the perception of eSports as sport by the population. Research methods: Discrete choice, two-part and regression models are estimated using a sample of 11,018 individuals from the Survey on Sports Habits in Spain 2015. Results and Findings: The association of the correlates follows different patterns depending on whether considering participation or the intensity of this participation in eSports and also in terms of gender. Using different approaches, a significant degree of complementarity between participation and interest in eSports and traditional sports is estimated. For young people interested in eSports seems to an element influencing the overall interest in sports. Implications: Taking i...
Defining the esports bettor: evidence from an online panel survey of emerging adults
International Gambling Studies, 2020
Competitive video gaming (esports) is a growing multinational , billion-dollar industry. Esports cultures replicate traditional sports cultures, involving elite athletes, teams, league sponsorships, large viewing audiences, high profile leagues and championships, and opportunities to bet on outcomes. However, little is known about people who bet on esports, it is generally considered a niche practice. Using data from the Emerging Adults Gambling Study, a nonprobability survey of 3549 people aged 16-24 living in Great Britain, the profile of esports bettors was compared with those who bet on other sports and non-gamblers. Those who bet on esports were more likely to be male, to be from nonwhite ethnic groups, to be heavily involved in playing digital games themselves, and to have higher rates of gambling involvement and problem gambling. Multivariate analysis showed a strong relationship between engaging in gambling-like practices within digital games and esports betting (for example, the purchase of loot boxes for money, or betting skins on external websites). Frequency of playing digital games was not associated with esports betting, suggesting it is not how often someone engages with digital games that is correlated with esports betting, but rather the different type of practices they undertake when playing video games.
Esports Fans as Players and Their Motivations to Spectate Esports: Case of League of Legends
Master's Thesis, 2022
Esports, also known as electronic sports, is constantly growing in popularity, with top competitions attracting audiences comparable to traditional sports events. Prior research has focused on comparing esports with traditional sports. However, a handful of recent studies acknowledged crucial differences between esports and traditional sports, including that the majority of esports fans are also players. This thesis aims to identify the motivations to spectate League of Legends (LoL) esports by its players. League of Legends is currently the most popular video game on the rapidly growing esports scene, with a player base of 180 million. LoL's biggest annual tournament, World Championship, was spectated by more than 73 million peak viewers, placing it on top of the World's Most Watched Esports Matches in 2021. To understand the general motivations to spectate LoL esports, this study adapted and utilized the previously established MSES (Motivation Scale of Esports Spectatorship) scale. The motivations were measured through an online survey that was distributed to online League of Legends communities. The sample included 338 self-identifying esports fans, who actively play League of Legends. The data were described using descriptive statistics and analyzed with the aid of the uses and gratifications theory and fandom theory. The findings suggest that players' main motivations to spectate LoL esports revolve around diversion and surveillance, with factors such as competitive nature, skill appreciation, dramatic nature, entertaining nature, game knowledge, competition excitement, and skill improvement being the most significant. The current thesis presents a study on gratification-related factors of why League of Legends players spectate esports online. Moreover, the study measures a hitherto unstudied effect of virtual rewards on players' motivation. Finally, this thesis provides a more precise approach to motivations to spectate esports and contributes to the understanding of the unique relationship between playing and spectating an esports game.
Investigating relationships between video gaming, spectating esports, and gambling
An established body of research exists in which playing video games has been associated with potentially problematic behaviours, such as gambling. An issue highlighted by the recent emergence of game-based gambling practices such as loot boxes, social network casinos, free-to-play game mechanics, and gambling using virtual goods and skins. This study investigates relationships between a range of gambling activities and the consumption of video games in general, and the newly emergent phenomenon of esports in particular. In addition, these practices are considered in relation to established measures assessing game addiction and problematic gambling. The study employs Partial Least Squares modelling to investigate data gathered via an international online survey (N = 613). Video game addiction was found to be negatively associated with offline gambling, online gambling, and problem gambling. Video game consumption had only small, positive association with video game-related gambling and problem gambling. Consumption of esports had small to moderate association with video game-related gambling, online gambling, and problem gambling. The primary finding of this study are that contemporary video games are not, in themselves, associated with increased potential for problematic gambling, indeed, the position that problem gaming and problem gambling are fundamentally connected is questioned.
International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations (IJGCMS) , 2018
Despite eSports' relatively long history, the attention paid by academia to this phenomenon has been much more recent and is still in an embryonic state in all of the views. The scientific production has grown because of the global success associated with the widespread growth of live events and the large following of competitions retransmitted via streaming. This article aims to offer a literature review of the research carried out on eSports to date, based upon a systematic review on the sample of selected research. The results confirm the growing variety of approaches to the issue, but also a clear dominance of computer science perspectives rather than to sport science or game studies. While showing some balance between qualitative and quantitative approaches, the prevalence of theoretical perspectives may be taken as a sign of struggle for consolidation as a field. Finally, a discussion about main matters and an author and institution average profile are also provided.
Current Status and Key Topics in Esports Research (Chapter 2.2, Routledge Handbook of Esports)
Routledge Handbook of Esports, 2024
Esports research encompasses a vast array of interdisciplinary foundations and investigates a diverse range of research questions concerning various aspects of the ecosystem. Research on esports addresses broad social and economic questions, organizational and institutional level concerns, and individual-level factors related to participants and fans. As an emerging context with broad application, esports researchers are drawn from a wide array of academic fields, employing theoretical and methodological approaches native to their disciplinary home. This chapter provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of research on esports, including its historical development, the diverse disciplinary and contextual perspectives it encompasses, and the possibilities for future research. Key highlights include: 1) A brief review of the history of esports research, 2) A high-level overview of esports research as a multi-disciplinary field, 3) An analysis of the evolution of the number of esports publications per year over the last 20 years, 4) The introduction of the “Esports Research Matrix,” which organizes existing and future esports research into 10 major field categories based on research scope, perspective, and domain, 5) A discussion about the various designs and methodologies used for esports research, and 6) A brief assessment the current state of esports scholarship.