Diversity and Inclusion in Esports Programs in Higher Education

Abstract

The last 2 years have witnessed a tremendous rise in esports in the US and, with it, a growing concern about the lack of diversity and its underlying probable cause: toxicity toward women and minorities. The popularity of this new pastime among undergraduates has skyrocketed and club leagues are quickly transitioning into collegiate sports, leaving universities to rapidly catch up with student demand in order to attract and keep a technologically-adept incoming student body. The University of California, Irvine has become a leader in collegiate esports programs, boasting a centrally located, dedicated esports arena, an active gaming student body (72%), and undergraduate scholarships. The goal is to be a leader not merely on the digital field, however. The goal is to also live up to the long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion across all aspects of campus life. In this article, the authors detail the strategy for accomplishing this. As university esports programs emerge nationwide, so too must campus policies and practices that ensure a welcoming and safe environment for all students.

Exploring the Contested Notion of Social Inclusion and Gender Inclusivity within eSport Spaces

“…There are, however, signs of organisations and institutions advocating for diversity and inclusion enhancement (Amazan-Hall et al, 2018;AnyKey, 2019), as well as specific female participation initiatives aiming to address discrimination (GirlGamer, 2019;Women in Games, 2019). Yet, eSport is in a nascent stage of development (production phase).…”

“…The opportunities for males are more prevalent as "for boys, games fit into normal forms of sociability" (Coavoux, 2019, p. 3). This has resulted in gendered differences in gaming patterns (Amazan-Hall et al, 2018;Crawford, 2005;Vossen, 2018). Therefore, research suggests that women continue to face stigmatisation, discrimination, and entry barriers into new virtual sporting paradigms and gaming networks.…”

Inclusivity and Diversity: A Systematic Review of Strategies Employed in the Higher Education Marketing Discipline

“…For instance, in a systematic review on the inclusion of students with dyslexia in higher education, Pino and Mortari (2014) identified assistive and communication technologies can be advantageous in increasing inclusion while, Fermín-González (2019) identified that e-learning education designs which considered diversity, were needed to increase inclusivity. Notably, when comparing investigations within the marketing discipline to investigations outside of marketing including psychology (Fuentes et al, 2021) and esports (Amazan-Hall et al, 2018) as well as university-wide approaches (Waling & Roffee, 2018), it is evident that there has also been a lack of investigation into strategies that have been identified as successful in other disciplines. For example, beyond the marketing discipline, there have been studies engaging in reflexivity, highlighting diversity in the course description, decolonizing the syllabus (Fuentes et al, 2021), creating opportunities for student diversity in university clubs (Amazan-Hall et al, 2018), ensuring access to information regarding mental health, and visibility of diverse segments of the student population (Waling & Roffee, 2018).…”

“…Notably, when comparing investigations within the marketing discipline to investigations outside of marketing including psychology (Fuentes et al, 2021) and esports (Amazan-Hall et al, 2018) as well as university-wide approaches (Waling & Roffee, 2018), it is evident that there has also been a lack of investigation into strategies that have been identified as successful in other disciplines. For example, beyond the marketing discipline, there have been studies engaging in reflexivity, highlighting diversity in the course description, decolonizing the syllabus (Fuentes et al, 2021), creating opportunities for student diversity in university clubs (Amazan-Hall et al, 2018), ensuring access to information regarding mental health, and visibility of diverse segments of the student population (Waling & Roffee, 2018). This suggests that further research is required to investigate the usefulness and success of strategies employed outside of the higher education marketing discipline and how they could be integrated into marketing curriculum.…”

Joy-Pros: A Gaming Prosthesis to Enable Para-Esports for Persons With Upper Limb Deficiencies

“…In 2020 the viewership of esports is estimated to have reached 495 million viewers, an 11.7% increase over the previous year, and it is expected to reach 464 million in 2023 [1]. With increased viewership also comes increased participation, and an increased need to consider the inclusively [2] and the ability of persons with different bodily conditions to participate in the sport.…”