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Journal ArticleDOI

Electronic sport and its impact on future sport

12 Feb 2010-Sport in Society (Taylor & Francis)-Vol. 13, Iss: 2, pp 287-299
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss and analyse the "sporting qualities" of competitive computer games in relation to the definition of sport, and also forecast the future of competitive games in general.
Abstract: The mere mentioning of computer gaming (E-sport) as a form of sports is subversive, according to public health and media discourses. As a matter of fact, the two practices are considered to be oppositional. Sports are often regarded as a virtue, whereas computer gaming is looked upon as a vice. In this light, the basic aim of this essay is to discuss and analyse the ‘sporting qualities’ of competitive computer gaming in relation to the definition of sport. The reasoning will also forecast the future of competitive computer gaming. How might this new form of ‘sport’ develop and what impact will it have on future sports in general? We answer the question by presenting three possible futuristic scenarios. Might it even be that we are standing on the threshold of a new phase in the evolution of sports?
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results indicate that escapism, acquiring knowledge about the games being played, novelty and eSports athlete aggressiveness were found to positively predict eSport spectating frequency.
Abstract: Purpose: In this study we investigate why do people spectate eSports on the internet. We 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).Methodology: We employed the MSSC (Motivations Scale for Sports Consumption) which is one of the most widely applied measurement instruments for sports consumption in general. The questionnaire was designed and pre-tested before distributing to target respondents (N=888). The reliability and validity of the instrument both met the commonly accepted guidelines. The model was assessed first by examining its measurement model and then the structural model.Findings: The results indicate that escapism, acquiring knowledge about the games being played, novelty and eSports athlete aggressiveness were found to positively predict eSport spectating frequency.Originality: During recent years, eSports (electronic sports) and video game streaming have become rapidly growing forms of new media in the internet driven by the growing provenance of (online) games and online broadcasting technologies. Today, hundreds of millions of people spectate eSports. The present investigation presents a large study on gratification-related determinants of why people spectate eSports on the internet. Moreover, the study proposes a definition for eSports and further discusses how eSports can be seen as a form of sports.

431 citations


Cites background from "Electronic sport and its impact on ..."

  • ...Beyond spectating eSports, being a professional eSports player or a professional video games streamer (see e.g. Hamilton et al., 2014; Jonasson and Thiborg, 2010; Seo, 2013; Sjöblom and Hamari, 2017) is a job which connects the phenomenon to an interesting view of playing games: playing video games can also take the form of work....

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  • ...Beyond spectating eSports, being a professional eSports player or a professional video games streamer (see e.g. Hamilton et al., 2014; Jonasson and Thiborg, 2010; Seo, 2013; Sjöblom and Hamari, 2017) is a job which connects the phenomenon to an interesting view of playing games: playing video games…...

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate why people spectate eSports on the internet and find that escapism, acquiring knowledge about the games being played, novelty and eSports athlete aggressiveness positively predict eSport spectating frequency.
Abstract: 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 study employs the motivations scale for sports consumption which is one of the most widely applied measurement instruments for sports consumption in general. The questionnaire was designed and pre-tested before distributing to target respondents (n=888). The reliability and validity of the instrument both met the commonly accepted guidelines. The model was assessed first by examining its measurement model and then the structural model.,The results indicate that escapism, acquiring knowledge about the games being played, novelty and eSports athlete aggressiveness were found to positively predict eSport spectating frequency.,During recent years, eSports (electronic sports) and video game streaming have become rapidly growing forms of new media in the internet driven by the growing provenance of (online) games and online broadcasting technologies. Today, hundreds of millions of people spectate eSports. The present investigation presents a large study on gratification-related determinants of why people spectate eSports on the internet. Moreover, the study proposes a definition for eSports and further discusses how eSports can be seen as a form of sports.

409 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue for the inclusion of organized e-sports events and competitions within sport management vis-a-vis e-games meeting certain defining criteria of sport in general.

199 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Eitzen as mentioned in this paper adds another valuable addition to the fields of sport management and sport sociology with his third installment of Fair and Foul: Beyond the Myths and Paradoxes of sport.
Abstract: D. Stanley Eitzen adds another valuable addition to the fields of Sport Management and Sport Sociology with his third installment of Fair and Foul: Beyond the Myths and Paradoxes of Sport. Eitzen’s approach in this work challenges readers to examine their position on various matters impacting sport. Understanding that people should be challenged to think for themselves, while seeking to provide answers to those items that are truly important, and seeing the extreme relevance in the study of sport and socio-cultural issues, Eitzen provides a path to cover a wide variety of issues in a probing and insightful manner. This work has the ability to offer up new insights and exposures to the sport experience while urging readers to be mindful and think more pragmatically about certain issues impacting study of sport.

181 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that future research should focus on esport players’ 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.
Abstract: 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 players' 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.

159 citations


Cites background or result from "Electronic sport and its impact on ..."

  • ...…devices, the events are hosted by sponsors, and have esport play-by-play commentaries, jumbotrons (i.e., large televised screens), sizeable live audiences, and large cash prizes for the best gamers (Adamus 2012; Jenny et al. 2016; Jonasson and Thiborg 2010; Lopez-Gonzalez and Griffiths 2016)....

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  • ..., large televised screens), sizeable live audiences, and large cash prizes for the best gamers (Adamus 2012; Jenny et al. 2016; Jonasson and Thiborg 2010; Lopez-Gonzalez and Griffiths 2016)....

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  • ...5 Kim and Thomas (2015) South Korea Nine esport players, two team coaches, two team directors and one psychological counselor Interviews with the participants (StarCraft players, coaches and psychological counselor) Interview analysis based on grounded theory methodology (Glaser and Strauss 1967) To develop the stage theory model of professional esport players, where the motivations (extrinsic and intrinsic), goals and learning style change during the process to become an esport player....

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  • ...As noted above, esport not only includes players, but also includes organizers and sponsors of esport championships, esports commentators, and the viewing esports audience (Adamus 2012; Jenny et al. 2016; Jonasson and Thiborg 2010)....

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  • ...Similarly to the previous theoretical studies highlighted (Adamus 2012; Jenny et al. 2016; Jonasson and Thiborg 2010), esport as video gaming consumption is not just a form of leisure activity or work (Ma et al....

    [...]

References
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Book
01 Jan 1958
TL;DR: Man, Play and Games as mentioned in this paper is a companion volume to Caillois's Man and the Sacred, which defines play as a free and voluntary activity that occurs in a pure space, isolated and protected from the rest of life.
Abstract: According to Roger Caillois, play is "an occasion of pure waste: waste of time, energy, ingenuity, skill, and often of money." In spite of this - or because of it - play constitutes an essential element of human social and spiritual development.In this classic study, Caillois defines play as a free and voluntary activity that occurs in a pure space, isolated and protected from the rest of life. Play is uncertain, since the outcome may not be foreseen, and it is governed by rules that provide a level playing field for all participants. In its most basic form, play consists of finding a response to the opponent's action - or to the play situation - that is free within the limits set by the rules.Caillois qualifies types of games - according to whether competition, chance, simulation, or vertigo (being physically out of control) is dominant - and ways of playing, ranging from the unrestricted improvisation characteristic of children's play to the disciplined pursuit of solutions to gratuitously difficult puzzles. Caillois also examines the means by which games become part of daily life and ultimately contribute to various cultures their most characteristic customs and institutions. Presented here in Meyer Barash's superb English translation, Man, Play and Games is a companion volume to Caillois's Man and the Sacred.

1,826 citations

Book
01 Jan 1978
TL;DR: The socology of sport has been studied extensively in the past and the present, see as discussed by the authors for a survey of some of the main areas of interest in sport in the social sciences.
Abstract: 1: The Sociology of Sport: What is it and why study it? 2: Producing Knowledge About Sports in Society: What is the Role of Research and Theory? 3: Studying the Past: Does It Help us Understand Sports Today? 4: Sports and Socialization: Who Plays and What Happens to Them? 5: Sports and Children: Are Organized Programs Worth the Effort? 6: Deviance in Sports: Is It Out of Control? 7: Violence in Sports: How Does It Affect Our Lives? 8: Gender and Sports: Does Equity Require Ideological Changes? 9: Race and Ethnicity: Are They Important in Sports? 10: Social Class: Do Money and Power Matter in Sports? 11: Sports and the Economy: What Are the Characteristics of Commercial Sports? 12: Sports and the Media: Could They Survive Without Each Other? 13: Sports and Politics: How Do Governments and Globalization Influence Sports? 14: Sports in High School and College: Do Varsity Sport Programs Contribute to Education? 15: Sports and Religion: Is It a Promising Combination? 16: Sports in the Future: What Can We Expect? References Name Index Subject Index

1,776 citations

Book
01 Jan 1997
TL;DR: Sutton-Smith as mentioned in this paper explored play theories rooted in seven distinct rhetorics, including the ancient discourses of fate, power, communal identity, and frivolity, and the modern discourse of progress, the imaginary and the self.
Abstract: Every child knows what it means to play, but the rest of us can merely speculate. Is it a kind of adaptation, teaching us skills, inducting us into certain communities? Is it power, pursued in games of prowess? Fate, deployed in games of chance? Daydreaming, enacted in art? Or is it just frivolity? Brian Sutton-Smith, a proponent of play theory, considers each possibility as it has been proposed, elaborated, and debated in disciplines from biology, psychology, and education to metaphysics, mathematics, and sociology. Sutton-Smith focuses on play theories rooted in seven distinct rhetorics - the ancient discourses of fate, power, communal identity, and frivolity and the modern discourses of progress, the imaginary, and the self. In an analysis that moves from the question of play in child development to the implications of play for the Western work ethic, he explores the values, historical sources, and interests that have dictated the terms and forms of play put forth in each discourse's objective theory. This work reveals more distinctions and disjunctions than affinities, with one striking exception: however different their descriptions and interpretations of play, each rhetoric reveals a quirkiness, redundancy, and flexibility. In light of this, Sutton-Smith suggests that play might provide a model of the variability that allows for natural selection. As a form of mental feedback, play might nullify the rigidity that sets in after successful adaption, thus reinforcing animal and human variability. Further, he shows how these discourses, despite their differences, might offer the components for a new social science of play.

1,288 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Sutton-Smith as discussed by the authors explored play theories rooted in seven distinct rhetorics, including the ancient discourses of fate, power, communal identity, and frivolity, and the modern discourse of progress, the imaginary and the self.
Abstract: Every child knows what it means to play, but the rest of us can merely speculate. Is it a kind of adaptation, teaching us skills, inducting us into certain communities? Is it power, pursued in games of prowess? Fate, deployed in games of chance? Daydreaming, enacted in art? Or is it just frivolity? Brian Sutton-Smith, a proponent of play theory, considers each possibility as it has been proposed, elaborated, and debated in disciplines from biology, psychology, and education to metaphysics, mathematics, and sociology. Sutton-Smith focuses on play theories rooted in seven distinct rhetorics - the ancient discourses of fate, power, communal identity, and frivolity and the modern discourses of progress, the imaginary, and the self. In an analysis that moves from the question of play in child development to the implications of play for the Western work ethic, he explores the values, historical sources, and interests that have dictated the terms and forms of play put forth in each discourse's objective theory. This work reveals more distinctions and disjunctions than affinities, with one striking exception: however different their descriptions and interpretations of play, each rhetoric reveals a quirkiness, redundancy, and flexibility. In light of this, Sutton-Smith suggests that play might provide a model of the variability that allows for natural selection. As a form of mental feedback, play might nullify the rigidity that sets in after successful adaption, thus reinforcing animal and human variability. Further, he shows how these discourses, despite their differences, might offer the components for a new social science of play.

1,104 citations

Book
01 Jan 1978
TL;DR: The Fascination of FootballIndividualism Reconsidered: A Retrospective Critique from Ritual to Record as discussed by the authors is a good starting point for this discussion.Play, Games, Contests, SportsFrom Ritual to recordCapitalism, Protestantism, and Modern SportWhy Baseball Was Our National Game
Abstract: Play, Games, Contests, SportsFrom Ritual to RecordCapitalism, Protestantism, and Modern SportWhy Baseball Was Our National GameThe Fascination of FootballIndividualism ReconsideredConclusionAfterword. From Ritual to Record: A Retrospective Critique

757 citations