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Routledge Handbook of Global Sport

John Nauright, Sarah Zipp

E-sports

Publication details https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315714264-36 Jacob Hindin, Matthew Hawzen, Hanhan Xue, Haozhou Pu, Joshua Newman Published online on: 23 Jan 2020

How to cite :- Jacob Hindin, Matthew Hawzen, Hanhan Xue, Haozhou Pu, Joshua Newman. 23 Jan 2020, E-sports from: Routledge Handbook of Global Sport Routledge Accessed on: 26 Sep 2021 https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315714264-36

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Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 23:29 26 Sep 2021; For: 9781315714264, chapter35, 10.4324/9781315714264-36 game competitions, known more commonly as ‘e-sports.’ In recent years, theworld has witnessedaphenomenalgrowth ofprofessional organizedvideo pool for major e-sports eventspool formajor e-sports reached $165.4 million(Lefton, 2015). was ofe-sports estimatedat$111 millioninNorth sorship America, andthetotalglobalprize report, 205 are expectedtoreach $1 billion some estimates, globalrevenues from market thee-sports related tovideogamingcommerce and highlycommercialized landscape(Taylor, feature oftheglobalsport-media 2012, 1–33). By broadcasts from otherlocalesaround theworld. professional venues sports – whilemillionsof ‘’ watch live onlinestreams andtelevision sponsors, broadcast teams, news reporters, in congregating andtensofthousandsspectators online battle arena games (MOBA). event Eache-sports consistsofevent organizers, officials, strategy (RTS), massively multiplayer onlinerole-playing game(MMORPG), andmultiplayer includes avast ofgenres variety includingfightinggames, (FPS), shooters person first realtime financially-incentivized, events. andwidely-attendedtournament now Thedomainofe-sports and teamsassemble instadiaandarenas tocompeteinsanctioned, real-time, broadly-streamed, tion – suchasLeagueofLegends, games. Hence, we asany mightrefer organizedmultiplayer toe-sports videogamecompeti- together from top gamers aroundthat bring the world to compete in -based battle fantasy 2017). Itisalsopracticedthrough highlycompetitive, tournament-style, mass-mediatedevents (suchasEASports’ ofe-sports as part & Sjöblom, FIFA andMaddenNFLfranchises)(Hamari ketball, orfootball –even thoughsuchsimulations of ‘traditional’ couldalsobeincluded sports andprofessionalized sport’gaming asspectatorial (p. to suggest that e-sports (2012) goes further ‘represents the configuration of competitive video where players competeagainstotherplayers before anaudience’ (Hollist, 2015, p. and competitive features. simplyas: e-sports Hollistdescribes ‘professional videogamematches content; ‘sports’ withinsuchnomenclature referstothegamingform’s organized, immediate, ‘electronic,’ andcomputer-mediated islargelydependentondigital whichdenotesthate-sports When definedsobroadly, today isanincredibly e-sports popular, deeplyprofessionalized, gamingpracticesof isnotlimitedtothedigital E-sports ‘traditional’ suchassoccer, sports bas- million people watched or played games in 2014. e-sports In 2015, spon- corporate Jacob Hindin,MatthewHawzen,HanhanXue, 2(Defenseofthe Ancients), andStarcraft –where individuals 2 by 2019(Riddell, 2016). BusinessJournal According toaSport Haozhou PuandJoshuaNewman 1). 1 The letter ‘e’ represents in e-sports E-sports 825). Taylor 35 405 Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 23:29 26 Sep 2021; For: 9781315714264, chapter35, 10.4324/9781315714264-36 ‘official sport’ inMay 2016, forwhich AUS willmaintaingovernance oversight (Walker, 2016). governing competitions –sanctionedLeagueofLegendsasan sport bodyforintercollegiate around theUnitedStates.tournaments In , Australian University Games(AUS) –the College, University, Maryville andSouthwesternUniversity now competeinonlineandin-person University,teams, Morris teamsatRobert e-sports University ofCalifornia, Irvine, Columbia Operating underthesamebudget astheircompetitive NCAA , basketball, andbaseball have inthepastthree years developed university-sponsored competitive videogamingteams. the field of electronic gaming. In the United States, a number of university athletic programs for$500 million. sion platforms tions withRiotGamestobroadcast LeagueofLegendsevents across ESPNonlineandtelevi- events forthe2016calendaryear. Further, thatDisney/ESPN ithasbeenreported isinnegotia- to createtem (TBS) and IMG partnered a 20-event broadcast schedule of tournaments,e-sports events, players, andgamingtrends. Inlate2015, Turner Broadcasting Sys- media corporations. InJanuary 2016, ESPNlaunchedavertical sitededicatedtocovering global Jacob Hindinetal. 406 market.e-sport As discussedbelow, theemerging globalgovernance challengesfacing isoneofthecurrent scene(Jonassonsupremacy & onthenascentinternational Thiborg, 2010; Jenny et al., 2016). (FIFA) ortheOlympics(IOC), insteadhaving several competing organizationscompetingfor However, lack theoverarching e-sports bureaucratization suchasfootball ofglobalsports traditional sports, andhave of record-tracking alonghistory (Jonasson & Thiborg, 2010). (equality),the same rules lendthemselves than more easily to quantification ofperformance fications, as they have no outward aspect (secularization), religious force players to abide by secularization, andequality(Jonasson & Thiborg, 2010). fulfillmany ofthesequali - E-sports namely amovement towards bureaucratization, rationalization, quantification, record-keeping, track grossmotormovements) are implemented. motor action, arequirement willnotmeetunlessmotion-basedvideogames(thosethat e-sports motor skills(moving ofthebody), largeparts grossrequire arguingthatsomedefinitions ofsport ning, Keiper, (2016), andOlrich however, draw adistinctionbetweengross finemotorskillsand actions, oraimwithinagamewilldirectly impacttheresult (Witkowski, 2012). Jenny, Man- difference inperformance), competitortomanipulatetheiravatar, theabilityofane-sport select is unrelated totheplayer’s actions(e.g. coulddictate orders toastand-inwithno agrandmaster of the match. Compared to the intellectual contest of chess, where the movement of the piece from intellectualcontestsinthatthekinestheticabilityofplayer theoutcome determines ments ofbeingorganized, competitive, andphysical. As Witkowski (2012)argues, differ e-sports (Jonassonwhich hecallssports & Thiborg, 2010). canbeseenasfulfillingthe require E-sports - competition, andthesecontestscanbedivided intointellectualcontestsandphysical contests, are added; somegamescanthenbeclassifiedascontestsdependentonaddingtheelementof Guttmann’s construct, unorganized, spontaneousplay andstructure becomegameswhenrules play, non-competitive gamesandintellectual contests’ (Jonasson & Thiborg, 2010, p. as activities thatinvolve ‘physical, competitive, andorganizedplay incontrasttospontaneous inFromRitualtoRecord (1978), sport oped alistofdistinguishingfeatures formodern defined sitrelativeWhere e-sports isamatterofdefinition. totraditionalsports AllenGuttmanndevel - Are e-sports‘sports’? Besides mediacorporations, universities andinstitutionsare into alsomaking theirincursions Most recently, events e-sports have drawn considerable interest from and traditional sports Guttmann also argued that modern sports differ from ancient sports in certain aspects, differfrom incertain sports ancientsports Guttmann alsoarguedthatmodern e-sports e-sports Counter- 289). In Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 23:29 26 Sep 2021; For: 9781315714264, chapter35, 10.4324/9781315714264-36 (Taylor, 2012, 6), andin1990Nintendoheldthe World Championships, atouring such asNintendoPowerandSegaVisions kept andpublished records toencouragecompetitions easedaccesstocompetitivethe consolesoflate20th century gaming. Gaming magazines System,as the Entertainment , Sony PlayStation, and Microsoft , cifically designed game controllers as opposed to mice and keyboards. Including consolessuch soles are stand-alone devices that are usually connected to televisions and played with spe - brought gaming to living rooms across theworld. Unlike computergaming, personal con- home consolesandtheadvent age. oftheInternet compared performances. This, however, quicklychangedwiththewidespread emergenceof and Nike (Borowy & Jin, 2013). Similartogolf, contestants played against ‘the course’ andthen atMissileCommand amongothers, fromwhose expertise himsponsorships earned Taco Bell toattractbusinessrecords tothearcade hemanaged; andusedhiscelebrity andRoy Schildt, Walter Day considered videogamechampion; thefirst LeoDaniels, five whoearned national sionals. These includedBenGold, acontestantonthereality gameshow That’s Incredible, whom rounds through thefinalinNew York (Borowy & Jin, 2013). ogame competitionintheUnitedStates, attractingover from 10,000participants theregional case (Borowy NationalSpaceInvadersFirst Competitionwas sponsored by Atari, manufacturer ofthearcade Tokyo were sponsored by Sega(aJapanese multinational videogamecompany), whilethe1980 sponsored by gamecompanies.primarily The mid-1970s All Japan TV GameChampionshipsin (Borowy & Jin, 2013). Numerous live were thistimeperiod, tournaments alsoorganizedduring experience, whichmay represent ashifttowards thedesires ofyounger adults(Seo, 2013). through orenjoying through anentertainment aperformance educationexperiences learning educational, escapist, esthetic, andentertainment, events whichmany e-sports fulfill, suchas events. There are fourareas ofperceived collectively consumerexperience known asthe’4Es’: memorablefrom sectortoaneconomicwherepay consumers theservice toexperience economy drivenexperience by younger consumers. economy representsThe experience ashift (Casselman, 2015). represent Seo(2013)hasarguedthate-sports aprovision oftheemerging tend to skew fans E-sports younger-roughly 28% may be over 35, although 84% are over 21 E-sports andtheexperienceeconomy and inventive games such as Rolling Stone, forthenovelty oftheoccasion(Lowood, primarily 2009). represented ofcompetitiveers physical oneofthefirst gatherings gamingand was covered by Stanford University (Lowood, 2009). The smallcompetitionofapproximately two dozenplay- unique code at each spot. the 1972 The game reached its zenith during ‘Spacewar Olympics’ at to eliminatetheother. The program spread from MITtootherresearch institutions, addingin a new microcomputer andincludedtwo players, eachcontrolling aspaceshipandattempting tiple machines(Lowood, 2009). Spacewar was developed atMITtodemonstratethepower of back to the 1962 debut of Spacewar, multiplayer one of the first among mul- gamesdistributed tive gameenvironments. competitive Muchofthecurrent videogame market may betraced roots gamingandthedevelopmentE-sports liewithinthedawn ofcomputerized ofcompeti- The earlydevelopmentofe-sports The widespread adoptionofhome videogameconsolesfrom themid-1980sto1990s the first The newwave mediaattention birthed andprofes (proto)- of e-sports celebrities By the1908sarcade sceneintheUnitedStateshadfullyexploded. ofpopular A series & Jin, 2013). The national Centipede, Pac-Man, and Space Invaders was large-scale vide- the first tournament Galaga drew many players to the arcades E-sports 407 Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 23:29 26 Sep 2021; For: 9781315714264, chapter35, 10.4324/9781315714264-36 other, oneattemptingtoplantabombandtheotherstopit(Witkowski, 2012). has remained popular,in particular especially in ; the game pits teams of five againsteach whichhassoldmore million copiessince2000). than10 (aseries Counter-Strike Counter-Strike or plex gallery. FPS games may for individual be structured battles(suchas in the Doom weapons they handle, with the goal being to ‘shoot’ enemy players, akin to an immersive, com- or creature in the game. The only thingvisible of the avatars on thescreen are the hands and the Thiborg, 2010). InFPSgames, theplayer controls anavatar, representation thevirtual ofahuman within multiplayer onlinegamingenvirons were FPS, RTS, games(seeJonasson andsports & were ofcomputers larger numbers linked together inonenetwork. The mostpopulargenres outover orthrough Local theInternet carried Area Networks (LAN), where bothsmallerand toconnectinreal-timeers multiplayer gamingscenarios. Intheearlydays, competitionswere onward, advances insoftware andhardware (network) allowed technologies videogameplay- nectivities brought aboutby thelaunchingofworldwide web in1989. From theearly1990s ofplayers, (Taylor, orfriends spectatorship the family rise ofe-sport the prefiguring 2012, 184). monitors, consolesalsoactedasacatalystforpassive consumptionofgamesby of othermembers longer gamesessions. Byprojecting thedisplay ofthegameontelevisions ratherthanpersonal against eachotherwithoutpurchasing multiple play chancessuchasinanarcade, allowing for competition withintheUnitedStates. Consolesallowed multiple players todirectly compete Jacob Hindinetal. 408 to approximately $500,000atitspeak, with over represented 70nationsand 700competitors at the US, Europe, and Asia. Total money forthecompetitionrose prize from aninitial$200,000 finals,the annual grand held inSouth Korea four forthefirst before years being rotatedamong would gothrough numerous rounds qualifyingbefore were ofregional thewinners invited to count, openingandclosingceremonies, (Hutchins, andnationalizedcompetitors 2008). Entrants ins, 2008). themselvesThe gamespatterned aftertheOlympicGames, completewithmedal was created by acollaborationoftheSouthKorean government andprivate investors (Hutch- the WCG. including marketsnature leagues of emerging meant that many e-sports lived,were of the first short never-paid money from prize tournaments, cloudingitsfinal (Taylor,years 2012, 9). Thefickle management was lateraccusedofshadybusiness dealings, deception, andissueswith delayed or in 2008, reorganized tohostseveral events inChina, andeventually stoppedproduction. CPL leagues tofollow (Kane, 2008, 117). However, afteryears ofdecliningevents, theleaguewas sold sioner – andthe CPL thatwas foundedby Angel Munoz inthesameyear (Taylor, 2012, 1–34). 1997 that included competitions in levels. The earliest leagues consisted of both the PGL LANcompetitionsatbothnationalandinternational – arranged the computergameindustry (CGS), within andCyberathleteProfessional League(CPL)– incooperationwithcorporations League Gaming(MLG), Professional League(PGL), Gamers ChampionshipGamingSeries ongoing suchasthe World CyberGames(WCG), Electronic Sports World Cup(ESWC), Major organized, competitions are heldhasincreased. prize-based organizationsdefunctand E-sports regular seasons. schedulingandstructured Over timethenumber ofdifferent gamesinwhich The late1990stoearly2000ssaw thedevelopment leagueswith organizede-sport ofthefirst Emerging e-sportsleagues series) orasteam-basedmatcheswithobjectivesQuake series) suchasintheTeam or series Fortress The development intercon- hasalsocomeaboutinconjunctionwiththedigital ofe-sports The WCG beganin2000asaproduct oftheSouthKorean competitive scene, e-sports and The CPLattractedmediaattention(suchasMTVspecials)and offered anexampleforother Quake and Starcraft commis - with Nolan Bushnell as its first – an ephemeral production founded in Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 23:29 26 Sep 2021; For: 9781315714264, chapter35, 10.4324/9781315714264-36 well as structuring theirpathtoprofessionalizationwell (Taylor, asstructuring 2012, 161–162). ships, handledbroadcast rights, andregistered andtracked professional inSouthKorea gamers as tournaments, overseen stadiums, ofdedicatede-sports construction sponsor- aidedinsecuring catalyzed thebureaucratization withinSouthKorea. ofe-Sports KeSPA hasmanaged numerous created withtheapproval ofCulture and oftheMinistry Tourism (Taylor, 2012, 25). KeSPA Korean e-Sports Association (KeSPA) in2000, anongovernmental bodythat was nonetheless development (Jin, 2010, 67). The largeststepSouth Korea of the has taken isthe formation festivals, – includedintheplanwas fore-sports e-sports support academicresearch andgame PromotionIn 2004itsGameIndustry 5-Year Planwas institutedtofosteronlinegamingand online games(Taylor, 2012, 17). South Korean $5 billionwithover gamingeconomy surpassed 50%ofthepopulationplaying settingforthedevelopment ofcompetitiveprimary gaming(Jin, 2010, 22–25). As of2012the aslaidoff workersthe financialcrisis searched forsomethingtodo. ThePCBangsthenactedas net cafesthatprovide relatively becamepopularafter cheaphourlyaccesstogamingcomputers) still spent on averageconsumers more than $50 per month (Li, 2016, 35). PC bangs (24/7 Inter- usage fell from roughlyfees for Internet $40 in1999 to under $20 by 2006, at which time US lation having (Jin, access to broadband Internet 2010, 20). Access fees are also cheap Korean connections, having Internet consumers accesstovery fast withover 95%ofthepopu- was invested intothecountry’s network Internet (Li, 2016, 35). This investment hasledtoSouth invest technology asadevelopmental ininformation goal. Between 1998and2002$11 billion the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. Following the crisis, the South Korean government decided to Europe’ (Taylor, 2012, p. (even mythical) power tofosterpro itholdsforthosetrying gaminginNorth and America scene thathasentered theculturalmainstream canactuallylook like, but fortheimaginative taken structuring, a leading place in global e-sports acting not onlyas ‘…what a professional leagues –thecompetitionwase-sports shutdown in2014. organizations, the WCG didnotprove tobeasstable assomeofthemore well-established going ‘sportification’ (Jonasson & Thiborg, 2010, p. towards rationalizationandbureaucratization thatmay under- increasingly beseenase-sports in attractedover 32, 000(Taylor, 2012, 206). The WCG alsoexhibitedthepush The 2009finalsinChengdu, Chinaattracted over 82,000live spectators, whilethe2010finals events, when allofthenumerous rounds nationalpreliminary were included(Hutchins, 2008). the 2007finals. The WCGclaimedthatapproximately onemillionplayers globallyentered the nents’ basethatisoccupied by enemy minionsand powerful defensive turrets, whiledefending base. Eachteamconsists offive ‘heroes’ navigate who must strategically pathways totheiroppo- generally consistoftwo teamsoffive players andeachplayer attemptstodestroy theiropponents’ events.ized e-sports ofdifferentspectators ageandgendergroups, oflarge-scaleprofessional- leadinguptotherise game developers have and specificallydesignedandmodifiedgamestoattract more participants Games, have becomerobust players new development insteering ofe-sports. Inparticular, those and failures, and developers, game publishers such as Blizzard, , and Riot leagues and organizations have e-sports both pronouncedWhile various successes experienced The riseofmajore-sportsevents This ofactivity hasledtogovernment involvement intheSouthKorean scene. e-sports That the inSouthKorea isnosurprise.WCG originated Sincethe1990sSouthKorea has The mostpopulargenre becameknown asmultiplayer onlinebattlearenas (MOBAs), which 18). inSouthKoreaThe emergenceofe-sports may betracedbackto 292). As withmany ofthenascente-sports – monthly E-sports 409 Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 23:29 26 Sep 2021; For: 9781315714264, chapter35, 10.4324/9781315714264-36 moving toLas Vegas (Cravens, 2014, 18). nowThe tournament billsitselfastheworld’s largest area, and was rebranded as Evolution in 2002, with the championship eventually tion ChampionshipSeries, orsimplyEvo. Evo asBattleby started theBay in1996withinthe attends isafforded aspotinthebracket. istheEvoluThe mostnotable fightingtournament - eventssmaller regional orare invited directly, oras ‘open’ competitions, where every player who eventse-sports onfighting gamesare eitherorganized wherein theplayers qualifythrough for high-levelsocial occasionsandopportunities rights. competitionandlocal bragging Major revolve around locallyorganizedmatchnightsatarcades orgaminghallswhichfunctionasboth the timing isparamounttovictory. Popular titleswithintheFGCincludeStreetFighterseries, topunches,mands thatcorrespond , throws, andspecialmoves. Fast-pacedexecution and defeat theopposingplayer. Mimickingboxing ortraditionalcombat sports, eachplayer hascom- games consistoftwo players controlling inatwo-dimensional characters planeattemptingto game community (FGC), have biome. ofthee-sports emergedasamajorpart Mostfighting Fisher & Thomas, 2016, 1). within a $4.5 startup Moore, chiefoperating officeratElectronic Arts,great startup, ‘Thishasthefeelingofa but a us thatthisrepresents growth forthecompany,’ alargeandimportant opportunity notedPeter in recent years enactedanumber ofinitiatives togrow theirlive event market. ‘It isevident to rowing from the FPS and RTS has platforms, EA Sports game manufacturers the major sports the MaddenNFLgame(whichhastotaledmore than$4 billioninsalestheUSalone). Bor - race. Popular titlesinthisgenre are (nearly$10 billionintotalsales)and theFIFA footballseries inasimulated game, sports of popularathletesfrom traditional(ormodern) match, season, or have becomeincreasingly popular. games, Insports gameplayers controlrepresentations digital from around theworld pool. competingforashare ofthe$18.4 millionprize out theKeyArena inSeattle, Washington for 2015,The International whichfeatured 16teams players pool. competingforashare ofthe$3 millionprize Laterin August ofthatyear, Valve sold 2015,ary theDota2 Asia ChampionshipsinShanghai, , featured 20teamsmadeupoffive markettially grew thee-sports bycompetitionandcaptivating facilitating audiences. InJanu- events – produced by andgoverning injointeffort multinational corporations bodies – substan- asmega-events.considered whatRoche(2000)describes In2015, forinstance, several e-sports 288 million cumulative dailyuniqueimpressions, according totheorganizerRiotGames. ship number oftheNFLwas 17.6 million(Aaron, 2015). The 2014competitionasawholesaw more than27 millionviewers watched theLoL World Championshipandtheaverage viewer- pools,$19 million inprize andviewership hasskyrocketed aswell. For comparison, in2014, the world (Aaron, 2015). Inorganizingtheirevents, RiotGameshascollectively offered over has beenfeatured andover inmore than1,260tournaments 2,700professional players around coaches, analysts, sponsors, fans, aswell asmediacontractsandmerchandise. To date, thegame revolution. Inelitecompetition, teams –feature athletes, LoLteams –similartotraditionalsports month, whileLoLaveraged 32 millionpermonth(Funk, 2013). massive player activity inbothgames –asof2013Dota2hadfourmillionuniqueplayers each such asunlockingadditionalcharacters. The low hasledupto initialexpenseforparticipants Valve Corporation’s Dota2 . Bothgamesoperateonafree-to-play basis, withchargesforextras their own. The mostpopular MOBA titles include Riot Game’s Jacob Hindinetal. 410 Apart fromApart MOBA, RTS, FPS, genres, andsports fightinggames, aspracticed by thefighting expandedtoanothergamegenre:This trend hasfurther videogames. sports games Sports As large-scale international events,As large-scaleinternational mightbe theproduction tournaments ofmajore-sports LoL was launchedby theRiotGamesin2009andhasbeenatforefront ofthee-sports series,Mortal and theSuper Smash Bros. series. competitions often billion company with three decades of experience in gaming’billion company with three decades of experience (quoted in (LoL) and the 3 Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 23:29 26 Sep 2021; For: 9781315714264, chapter35, 10.4324/9781315714264-36 channel, was andhasbeeninoperationsince1999(Jin, oneofthefirst 2010, 68). petition. For example, ongamenet), OGN(originally aSouthKorean cable e-sports-dedicated especially inSouthKorea, whichhasmultiple channelsdevoted com- specificallytoe-sports broadcasting formany games. However, successfultelevision ventures have beenundertaken, (Taylor,traditional advertisers 2012, 211–212). These difficultiespresent problems fortelevision makesminutes oranhour)andthisuncertainty showing individual gamesdifficulttofitwith the broadcast). Matchesmay bewildlydifferent inlength(anRTS battlecanbeover in10 instance, may bemore ‘viewer-friendly’ than MOBAs thathave complextacticalactionacross roles may genres thatare differforcertain difficulttounderstand by novices (fightinggames, for players (Taylor, 2012, 224–228). areThese announcers usedforallgametypes, althoughtheir consumptionexperience, ofthee-sports part andare oftendrawn from poolsofex-orcurrent could view andmove around amapnaturallywithinthegame(Li, 2016, 49). puter. Developers eventually installedmodesspecificallyforobservation where commentators andhideinorderjoin asaneutralthird-party toobserve thematchfrom anon-playing com- Originally, would commentators have tobundle audiowithzip-filesafterthematchorclumsily and 200). Gameshave alsobeenadaptedtomake iteasiertospectate. Popular titlessuchasStarcraft VODs andreplays are recycled andconsumedattheviewer’s leisure time(Taylor, 2012, 199– demand (VOD) orreplays ofconcludedmatches, where mimickingatrend intraditionalsports well incomefrom orsponsors. advertisers asearning may alsohostvideoon Onlineplatforms allowing directly (by themtotalkfans reading thechatthataccompaniestheir stream), as individual professionals tohosttheirown stream, broadcasting theirrecreational play orpractice, viewers tocommunicate witheachotherinreal-time. Streaming sitesalsoprovide for aplatform Streaming sites, suchas .tv, broadcast matchesaswell asprovide for achattingservice ways continues tobeonlineorin-person. formediaconsumptionofe-sports the primary While television coverage ofe-sports, suchastheEVO2016 final, isbecomingmore common, Media consumptionofe-sports FighterVsegmentwas broadcast live onESPN2. Street fighting game event, andhasgottensignificant numberofspectators. Thefinalof Evo2016’s global North. marketingelectronic markets inestablished gamingandtournament andemerging across the (see lem ofdopingin e-sports Waldron, 2016). WESA willalsoberesponsible forpromoting develop acomprehensive setofpoliciesandprocedures fordealingwiththegrowing prob- and player contractmediation, looktocurbthegrowing trend ofmatchfixing, andseekto gaming. governingThis international body will provide oversight scheduling of tournament governing (todate) to create aninternational bodyforcompetitivethe mostsignificanteffort ofthe formation World Association (WESA). ofthe The formation WESA represents League Sports institutions have toadministere-sports. beenformed For instance, inearly2016theElectronic soccer, volleyball, basketball, andathletics. Increasingly, governmental orpseudo-governmental progressively beenbureaucratized, suchasfootball/ sports takingasimilarpathtointernational The administration, governance, games/franchiseshas e-sports andmanagementofvarious Emerging internationale-sportsgoverningbodies Match commentators, oftencalled ‘shoutcasters’ orsimply ‘casters,’ have becomeanessential nowCounter-Strike have built-in functionstorecord andreview matches (Taylor, 2012, 199). – the world’s largest competitive video gaming organization – announced the E-sports 411 Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 23:29 26 Sep 2021; For: 9781315714264, chapter35, 10.4324/9781315714264-36 this timeanopenquestion. ofScholars,(Consortium 2013). The ultimatelinksbetween violenceandgameplay remain at field suffered from may issuesandthemeta-analysesofthesepapers methodological beflawed cized makingconclusionsthatviolentgamescausedviolencebehavior asmany studiesinthe that show significant relationships. Anopenlettertothe APA signed by - over criti 200scholars game consumptionare prevalent andmay betheresult ofpublication biasesfavoringstudies violence. Ferguson (2018) notesthat positive’‘false results forstudieslinkingviolencetoviolent ‘prosocial games.’ video gamesincreased statesofhostility, aggression, andmeanfeelingscompared toneutralor nal studyofUSandJapanese youth. Saleem, Anderson, andGentile(2012)found thatviolent betweencorrelations - habitualviolentvideogameplay withinalongitudi andlateraggression violent videogamesandaggressive behavior, cognition andaffect. et al.Anderson (2008)found is anarea ofactive research. andBushman’sAnderson (2001)meta-analysisfoundlinksbetween son & Bushman, 2001). The results ofstudieshave beenmixed andtheeffectofviolentmedia violent mediamay make itmore likely real-world thatindividuals perform violence(Ander- punching killing, etc. …)and psychology researchers have thatwatching warned orplaying titles includeactionsthatrepresent player avatars doingviolencetootherplayers (shooting, istheeffectofviolentgamesonbehavior; ofE-Sports withtherise manyOne concern e-sports Violence ine-sports issuesine-sports Contemporary Jacob Hindinetal. 412 ties withincasual competitive play, aphenomenon reinforced by lookingforparticular sponsors to eitherhidetheirgenderonline, ortoadopthyper-masculinized orhyper-feminized identi- aswellmastery asmisogynistic behavior towards unproven female gamers. Many women choose or asareproduction through andreclamation thedisplay ofmasculine norms oftechnological display aseitheranembraceofalternative lifestylesorrepudiation oftraditionalathletic norms, translate mainstream hegemonicmasculinities. subculture,As a(once)marginalized thismay ‘geek’ culture, whichprovides alternative masculinitiesor for men to perform opportunities ninity andmasculinity. Gaming, asatech-heavy leisure pursuit, hasoftenbeenassociatedwith the future (Taylor, 2012, 125–128). ing players reinforces andtournaments divisions thatmay bemore difficulttobreak down in may reason benobiological they cannotcompeteatthesamelevel andthatseparat- ate-sports well asexposure. Conversely, argumentsagainstseparatingwomen andmenfocusonhow there women’s’supported teamsallow tobenefitfrom forfemalegamers networking as opportunities burgeoning femaleplayers inthesameway they would maleplayers. Separatelyorganizedand culture thatcanbeacutelysexist andthereticencetoinclude ofmaleorganizers ‘skill-up’ rate women’s toentry, teamsnotethatwomen institutionalbarriers face including an ‘initiation’ withinorparalleltoexistingtournaments. shouldparticipate competitors Arguments forsepa- oftraditionalsports.the fashion debatefocusesonwhetherprofessional Contemporary women Currently, most women’s’ from exist segregated men’s’ teams and tournaments in tournaments 100 pro earners, andmarket research indicates85%oftheaudienceismale(Featherstone, 2017). isplayed byE-sports men; andwatched primarily there are nowomen players amongthetop Gender ine-sports However, thefieldisstillunsettledonwhetherconsumingviolentvideogamesleadsto These debatesrest withinabroader debatewithingamingabouttraditionalviews offemi- Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 23:29 26 Sep 2021; For: 9781315714264, chapter35, 10.4324/9781315714264-36 legality (Giampapa, 2016; Winkie, 2017). are allowed orotheraccommodationsare mademay dependonadhocdecisionsoftournament withdisabilities,impose financialcostsonsomecompetitors andwhethermodifiedcontrollers organizer.cations oradaptationswilldependonthetournament Travelling may totournaments modifi- there andacceptanceofcertain arenoaccessibilitystandards currently fortournaments orotherassistdevices.alter theirmonitor/inputsetupstoaccommodatewheelchairs However, have alsobeendeveloped ordeafgamers, toassisthard ofhearing whileothercompetitionsmay onacontrollerand scoliosiswhoplays stick. usinghistongueforfinedexterity Rumblevests arounds, suchasMike ‘Brolylegs’ Begum, witharthrogryposis afightinggamecompetitorborn tronic interactionallows withimpaired many gamers grossmotorabilitieschancestofind work- tocompete. fordisabled gamers opportunities present uncertain E-sports The nature ofelec- Disability e-sports stream, andthelevel ofsubculture differentiation dissolves. (Taylor, 2012, 110–125). are exacerbatedas feminine performances ‘geek’ becomeincreasingly culture main- ande-sports identity displays forall-women teams. The complicatedrelationship between masculineand Aaron, J. (2015, February References 3 2 1 Notes spheres,exploration ofsporting bothnew andold, attention. willcontinue further towarrant ofnetworkedthe increasing importance technologies. However ultimatelyendsup, e-sports its becomes thenew hegemonicsports, socialconditionsand withinchanging acting inconcert of mainstream hegemonic sports, becomes accepted as part that e-sports itself orthat e-sports : develops thate-sports intoanalternative counterculture tomainstream hegemonicsports, willcontinue toevolvefans ends. touncertain Jonasson and Thiborg (2010)offerthree scenar- organizers,tournament gamedevelopers, professional teams, sponsors, mediaorganizations, and are stillinflux. industry ofthee-sports andstructure holders Theconnectionsbetween the that theactivity willcontinue toplay role ecosphere. animportant withinthesports The stake- pursuits,While nascent compared toothersporting thesustainedgrowth suggests ofe-sports Conclusion purchases that participants can make (during non-tournament play) (Tassi, non-tournament canmakepurchases thatparticipants (during 2015). Valve poolsthrough generatesitsrecord-size crowdfunding prize andcompendiumsales—in game topher, 2016). Driven by thegrowth market, ine-sports - gamingsaleshit$61 billionin2015(DiChris theglobaldigital & Rama,Burroughs 2015; Crawford & Gosling, 2009; Jonasson & Thiborg, 2010; Rai & Yan, andmedia(e.g.between sports andthedevelopment andfieldsinparticular e-sports 2009). ofotherindustries 2016; & Feenberg, Grimes 2009; Hutchins, 2008; Millington, 2014; Simon, 2007), andtherelationship cultural life, social relations, andpolitics(e.g. Dyer-Witheford & dePeuter, 2009; Fisher &Jenson, Ripeanu, aspects, ethicalandmoralissues, (e.g. industry andregulation ine-sports Blackburn, Kourtellis, Skvoretz, ence economy (e.g. Borowy & Jin, 2013; Kirschner, 2015; Seo, 2013, 2016; Seo &Jung, consumption, focused one-sports marketing, 2014), hasprimarily Exiting literature one-sports - legal andexperi Retrieved from www.huffingtonpost.com/jesse-aaron/the-controversial-dichoto_b_6692052.html & Iamnitchi, 2013; Comerford, 2012; Golub&Lingley, 2007; Hollist, 2015), and e-sports 18). 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