Professional gaming is organized competitive digital gameplay supported by advertisers and businesses. With its rising popularity and spectatorship, virtual gaming as a profession is now a reality. The aim of this paper is to evaluate peer-reviewed articles from the past two decades that empirically examine gaming as a profession or the myriad facets of being a professional gamer published in scholarly journals. The themes that emerge from the results of the included studies ( n = 32) are (a) the socio-cultural appeal of gaming as a profession, (b) socio-psychological elements of pro-gamers’ everyday lives, and (c) the health and physiology of pro-gamers. It is found that the literature on health and physiology ( n = 14) overshadows other dimensions of pro-gaming in academic research. In conclusion, studies must reflect on gamers’ legal status as working professionals, their organizational contracts, and the legality of the industry country by country to fill the research gap.
The growth of esports into a worldwide phenomenon is astounding. With more and more young people trying to make a living as gamers, there has never been a better time to dive into the subject. Despite having the world's largest youth population and the fifth largest economy (both promising grounds for esports), India's esports industry is still underdeveloped. Forty-one Indian professional gamers were interviewed to determine what factors are holding back the growth of esports in the country. Our research illuminates the complex realities of professional gamers in India and the obstacles they confront on their path to the top. Findings from a thematic analysis of the data show that the difficulties of pursuing a career in esports in India are rooted in techno-economic, sociocultural-political, and psychological challenges. Policy implications and suggestions to remedy gamers' precarious situation and advance the country's esports ecosystem are discussed in context. All stakeholders (government, sponsors, team organizations, event organizers, and parents) must collaborate for India to emerge as the global esports superpower.
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