Intersections of Fandom in the Age of Interactive Media
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Article Communication & Sport 2018, Vol. 6(4) 418-435 ª The Author(s) 2017 Intersections of Fandom Reprints and permission: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav in the Age of Interactive DOI: 10.1177/2167479517727286 Media: eSports Fandom journals.sagepub.com/home/com as a Predictor of Traditional Sport Fandom Kenon A. Brown1, Andrew C. Billings1, Breann Murphy1, and Luis Puesan2 Abstract This study focuses on comparing the uses sought and gratifications obtained when consuming media related to eSports and traditional sports; in doing so, relevant areas of overlap and distinction are ascertained. In all, more than 1,300 American eSports participants were queried as to their interest in both eSports and tradi- tional sports fan/followership. Results revealed that eSports participants sought out media for both eSports and traditional sports for similar motivations, specif- ically social sport, fanship, and Schwabism. However, it is the magnitude of the motives that truly set eSports fans apart, with participants showing far more dedication and desire to engage with eSport content than in any other realm of the traditional sporting arena. Keywords eSports and traditional sports motivations, uses and gratifications, survey 1 The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA 2 University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA Corresponding Author: Kenon A. Brown, Plank Center for Public Relations Leadership, Alabama Program in Sports Communi- cation, The University of Alabama, 134 Reese Phifer Hall, Box 870172, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA. Email: [email protected] Brown et al. 419 As two of the most burgeoning subfields of communication, sport and gaming scholarship has seemingly jointly moved to the forefront of many discussions of media, spurred by the notion that the science of play should not be discounted in the shaping of modern human habits (Billings, 2017). Rapidly expanding mobile media options have continued the mainstreaming of fandom via everything from fantasy sport to YouTube video productions, blurring the lines between spectator and per- former (Bowman & Cranmer, 2014). At the nexus of this gaming and sports focus is the rapidly ascending world of eSports. With roots embedded in the mainstreaming of gaming as early as the 1970s, enhanced Internet speed and access has caused the burgeoning industry to excel, with over 205 million people participating (Cassel- man, 2015); while selling out professional sporting arenas for major competitions (Carr, 2016), eSports now is a global player in the digital gaming marketplace. eSports has existed in some form for many decades (via closed online competitions as well as programs such as Entertainment and Sports Programming Network [ESPN]’s Madden Nation), yet, as Peckham (2016) illuminates, eSports now occu- pies spaces familiar to the traditional sports fan, with ESPN and Turner Broadcasting serving as exemplars of recent major investment in rendering competitions to the masses. Many in the popular press (see Fischer, 2017) are actively attempting to explicate the manner in which eSports does (or does not) fit into traditional sport spaces, leading to, for instance, an entire panel being dedicated to the subject at South by Southwest 2017. The similarities are evident, as millions of people become fans of premier players within various eSports game platforms, yet most avid eSports play- ers and followers are not followers of traditional sports as unpacked in a variety of sports media products (Aaron, 2015). The constituencies for both sports and eSports fans number in the hundreds of millions—if not more—making discerning the commonalities (or lack thereof) pertinent to understanding the vast and expanding digital gaming space. This study focuses on the uses sought and gratifications obtained within each of these two groups; in doing so, relevant areas of overlap and distinction are ascertained. In all, more than 1,300 American eSports participants were queried as to their interest in both eSports and traditional sports fan/follower- ship. As such, an important delineation is offered, showing that while both are enacting fandom in similar manners, the reasons why they opt to consume media to advance their fandom is demonstrably different. Literature Review Before delving into the intricate world of eSports fandom, one must understand the approach endorsed while discerning motivations for fandom—and the degree in which they do or do not match with traditional sport identification and followership. Given that the focus of this study is on reasons for seeking a given form of media content, the uses and gratifications approach (Katz, Blumler, & Gurevitch, 1973) appears most pertinent to the task at hand. As originally conceived, the approach is 420 Communication & Sport 6(4) used to illuminate the reasons why one opts to consume different media options, bifurcating such decisions between uses sought and gratifications obtained within the formulation of a given media choice. Katz and Blumler (1974) contend that this approach is undergirded by three primary assumptions, each of which are potentially quite pertinent to eSports interests: Audiences are (a) goal oriented in their behavior, (b) active in their media use, and (c) aware of their needs and use specific media to gratify those needs. Such principles have been applied in a variety of contexts related to sport (Clavio & Kian, 2010), mobile/social media (Billings, Qiao, Conlin, & Nie, 2017), and the fantasy games that percolate from such competitions (Spinda, 2016). Nevertheless, eSports motivations have not been interrogated via a similar lens. Once considering that five reasons persist to explain why people opt for one form of media over another (Windahl, 1981), such motivations can be applied to the context of the relatively new world of eSport. Such decisions are rooted in psychol- ogy (Rubin, 1994; Ruggiero, 2000) and are used to explain how people navigate their social world. One can quickly surmise relationships between eSports and traditional sport fandom based on the aforementioned decisions: Both groups would seemingly be motivated by escape, relaxation, and diversion mechanisms exempli- fied by broader notions of gaming, for instance. However, the immense history of traditional sport runs in stark contrast to the history of eSports; one can grow up with embedded, tacit understandings of the importance and relevance of sport, yet the same cannot be said of eSports for all but the youngest of people who call themselves eSports fans. To wit, one may have shared memories of hundreds of sports game viewings (live and mediated) with family and friends, yet youth are just as likely to use eSport as a vehicle for seeking traditional sport fanship as they are to use to traditional sport fanship as a gateway into the eSports world, given that both have established underpinnings over several decades that envelope one’s entire life. Thus, it is crucial to understand the history of eSport before one can place it within the context of its relationship (or, often, lack thereof) with traditional sports fanship. Raney (2006) claims that traditional-mediated sports viewing is “more than an ignoble, and potentially [is] a beneficial, human pursuit” (p. 327), positing many motivations for sports fandom, ranging from eustress to mood management to the desire for community building. All of these motivations seemingly have potential relationships with eSports fandom, particularly in an age of sports media in which simultaneous screens and the expansion of the definition of sport (see Billings & Brown, 2017) dictate a modern evolution of what constitutes sport as well as what fans will do to consume it in myriad forms. eSports: A History With an origin tracing to October 19, 1972, when the first video game competition occurred at Stanford University (Baker, 2016), electronic sports (dubbed eSports) steadily gained market space, with exponential growth happening over the last decade. Eight years later, the first large-scale video game competition attracted, Brown et al. 421 overall, 10,000 participants when Atari held the Space Invaders Championship in New York City (Players Guide, 1982). The evolution of eSports can be traced to two distinct periods: (a) arcade and (b) Internet eras (Lee & Schoenstedt, 2011). During the arcade era (i.e., 1980–1990), eSport competitions regularly produced record-breaking performances in games such as Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Jr., Centipede, and Burger Time (Ramsey, 2015), becoming a legitimate sport by having a centralized governing body, formal record keeping, set guidelines, and the promotion and encouragement of fair competition (Borowy & Jin, 2013). The 1990s featured the rise of the Internet and local area network (LAN) technology, allowing people to connect online while replacing consoles (Griffiths, Davies, & Chappell, 2003). LAN events were a place where gamers would link their PCs within a high-speed LAN, so they could play together, making eSports a social activity, pitting one group against the other (Jansz & Martens, 2005). Video games and competitions were, thus, exponentially more accessible as they eventually migrated almost entirely online. Ultimately, large eSport tournaments (e.g., 1990 Nintendo World Champion- ships) started to occur in the United States. The 1990 Nintendo World Champion- ships was played on the Nintendo Entertainment System, traversing 29 international cities (Pitcher, 2014). The format in which the championship was conducted was in-person qualifiers at various