The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Dissertations Spring 2021 Professional Counter-Strike: An Analysis of Media Objects, Esports Culture, and Gamer Representation Steven Young Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations Part of the Other Film and Media Studies Commons Recommended Citation Young, Steven, "Professional Counter-Strike: An Analysis of Media Objects, Esports Culture, and Gamer Representation" (2021). Dissertations. 1886. https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/1886 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PROFESSIONAL COUNTER-STRIKE: AN ANALYSIS OF MEDIA OBJECTS, ESPORTS CULTURE, AND GAMER REPRESENTATION by Steven Maxwell Young A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School, the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Communication at The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved by: Dr. John Meyer, Committee Chair Dr. Christopher Campbell Dr. Eura Jung Dr. Paul Strait Dr. Steven Venette May 2021 COPYRIGHT BY Steven Maxwell Young 2021 Published by the Graduate School ABSTRACT Esports are growing in popularity at a rapid pace worldwide. In contemporary society, individuals watch esports broadcasts as part of their normal media consuming practices. This dissertation focuses on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), which is currently the most recognized first-person shooter esport worldwide and the third most popular game across all esports genres (Irwin & Naweed, 2020). Interested in how the cultural knowledge and experience of esports and gamers who populate the scene are represented in media, I explored professional CS:GO esports broadcasts from two prominent professional leagues, ESL Pro League (EPL) and ELEAGUE. A thematic analysis of textual and audio-visual data from professional CS:GO broadcasts revealed that esports culture is a novel phenomenon, similar to sport, but situated within video games. Using traditional sports metaphors and comparisons, as well as sportscast style match coverage and gameplay reporting, EPL and ELEAGUE illustrate CS:GO as a global sport. At the same time, both leagues emphasize technicity and rely on gamer jargon to frame professional CS:GO as a hybrid mediasport, intrinsically tied to game culture. EPL and ELEAGUE utilize narratives and images to portray gamers as simultaneously geeks and jocks by highlighting players’ traditional sports backgrounds while also describing them as “natural gamers.” Finally, EPL and ELEAGUE represent gamers as young males who are mostly white, offering audiences a limited worldview that supports a dominant social, cultural, and global ideology. Keywords: Media Representation, Esports Culture ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the continual guidance and support of my committee: John Meyer, L. Paul Strait, Christopher Campbell, Eura Jung, and Steven Venette. Throughout the process of this dissertation, my committee taught me the skills and competencies necessary to become more precise and rigorous in scholarship. I hope to use their knowledge and instruction methods as I begin my journey teaching the next generation of scholars. I owe a special debt of gratitude to John Meyer, my advisor who, from the moment I began this project until its completion, never lost faith in me. Thank you for always responding to my messages in a timely fashion, and providing not only detailed feedback, but encouragement to keep writing. iii DEDICATION To my parents, Jimmy and Salme, thank you for supporting me on this long journey. Although it is difficult being so far away, you never questioned my capability, and always encouraged me. I could not have persevered through all of the obstacles if it were not for your continuous love and support. To my brother, Ben, thank you for introducing me to Counter-Strike all those years ago at Larchmont Computer. I have always looked up to you, not just in the real world, but in the digital gameworld too. Throughout the process of this dissertation, my research methods naturally brought me to digital screens to watch professional CS:GO matches. Upon learning this, my brother Ben and close friends Christian, Joey, and Pete joined me in watching professional CS matches and even playing CS for the first time in years. Your support has meant everything to me. Thank you guys for always being in my corner. I would be remiss not to mention my cohort at the University of Southern Mississippi. Moving from New York to Hattiesburg was a culture shock to say the least, but integrating to doctoral studies in the deep south was made pleasant by the likes of Sean, Braden, Seth, both Amy’s, Carley, Jessica, and many others. Last, but never least, I want to thank my wife Elaine. I cannot put into words just how selfless and supportive you have been over the course of this project. Thank you for your unending patience, your willingness to listen, and your empathy. I truly would not have gotten to this point without you. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS .............................................................................................. x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................ xi CHAPTER I Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 Esports and Spectatorship ............................................................................................... 3 Relationship to the Topic ................................................................................................ 9 Preview of Chapters ...................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER II CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................. 13 Interpretivism and Culture ............................................................................................ 13 Narrative ....................................................................................................................... 16 Popular Culture ............................................................................................................. 19 Media Studies................................................................................................................ 22 Game Studies ................................................................................................................ 26 Gamer Identity .......................................................................................................... 27 Game Culture ............................................................................................................ 28 First-Person Shooter Games ..................................................................................... 31 v Counter-Strike ........................................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER III - ESPORTS CULTURE, PARTICIPANTS, AND BROADCASTS ....... 43 Esports Culture.............................................................................................................. 44 Esports Participants ....................................................................................................... 51 Esports Players .......................................................................................................... 51 Esports Spectators ..................................................................................................... 55 Other Esports Stakeholders ....................................................................................... 58 History of Esports and Esports Broadcasts ................................................................... 60 CHAPTER IV – METHODS ............................................................................................ 68 CHAPTER V – RESULTS ............................................................................................... 80 Key Themes .................................................................................................................. 88 Game Culture ............................................................................................................ 97 Geek Representation ............................................................................................... 110 Sport Legitimation .................................................................................................. 115 Jock Representation ................................................................................................ 122 Developing Narrative .............................................................................................. 124 Gameplay