Can Esports Substitute Traditional Sports? The Convergence of Sports and Video Gaming during the Pandemic and Beyond

Abstract

This research examines the various ways that video games, particularly esports, have been leveraged for content production and fan engagement (i.e., gamification) in traditional sports during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as sports fans’ reactions in relation to their motives, points of attachment, and other consumer behavior. The study presents a sports–gaming convergence framework and identifies six popular gamification modes where video games and traditional sports converge during the pandemic. The survey results further reveal that gamification content is not consumed as simply a “substitute” for traditional sports, but instead a complementary yet unique product. In conclusion, we suggest that it is critical to recognize the differences between fans of video games and fans of traditional sports concerning market segmentation. Nevertheless, esports could effectively bridge these two industries and their consumers by enriching the content offering and extending distribution channels.

Beyond the Screen: Do Esports Participants Really Have More Physical Health Problems?

“…For the selection criteria of the esports population, we primarily included players who actively participate in mainstream esports game types and have engaged in the game within the past six months [47,49]. Although there is currently no widely accepted and universally recognized comprehensive definition of esports [1,[4][5][6][7][8][9][10], it is generally acknowledged that esports, in a broad sense, must involve competitive electronic gaming [50][51][52]. The selection of these six game genres also took into consideration the types of esports events included in the 2023 Asian Games, which aligns with the current esports landscape in Asia.…”

“…Moreover, an increasing number of academics and researchers are beginning to explore esports from an academic perspective, and the number of published papers related to esports has significantly increased since 2020 [3]. Nevertheless, there is still no widely accepted definition of esports in esports research [1,[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. However, most academics agree that although esports originates from computer games or video games, it cannot be fully equated with video games or electronic games in general [11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

Media and Communication in the Digital Age: Changes and Dynamics

“…This can happen thanks to information communication technologies (ICT) (Jenkins et al, 2013). An example of participatory culture is the transition of consumers who evaluate esports to the position of producers (Pu et al, 2021). In this framework, consumers become broadcasters and present their own broadcasts to sports audiences through Twitch, YouTube and similar media channels.…”

Esport and simracing markets – The effects of COVID-19, difficulties and opportunities

“…The "viewing hours" of game streams hosted on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook and Mixer increased from 4.8 billion to 7.6 billion in the first quarter of 2020 (Strenczewilk 2021). The motivation for this consumption includes escape, social factors, achievement, drama, gambling, and knowledge (Pu et al 2021 The biggest market with a direct connection to esport is the gaming industry. The number of gamers has been increasing over the years.…”

“…Furthermore, event calendars should maintain a balance between offline and online eventslike everywhere else, a hybrid world is the future, or even the present. Jonasson and Thiborg (cited by Pu et al 2021) determined three scenarios for esports in 2010: (1) esport as a counterculture or alternative to modern sports; (2) esport as part of the hegemony of sports; and (3) esport as the future hegemonic sport. It appears that with the "help" of COVID-19 we have now moved from the first to the second scenario, with esport becoming part of the hegemony of sports.…”