The Value of E-Sports Is in the Eye of the Beholder, But Can E-Sports Operators Influence What the Spectators See?

Abstract

This article considers the societal discussion revolving around e-sports to be a reflection of the incommensurability of different means of value justification. The article seeks an answer to the question of how e-sports operators can demonstrate that their work entails aspects, i.e. propose value to aspects that are generally valued. The article presents a theory-guided analysis of the means of value justification in the world of e-sports. The theoretical basis builds upon modern economic sociology. The esteem of e-sports is not generated spontaneously but requires active measures by operators within the e-sports field. This calls for an ability to recognise various means of value justification and the related value categories and conflicts in one's own work. The attractiveness of e-sports in the eyes of the corporate world as well as the general public is proportional to how credibly the e-sports operators are able to demonstrate aspects of their work that are in line with things that are generally valued. The present article contributes to the collaboration between e-sports operators and stakeholders by verbalising the tensions and possibilities related to such collaboration. The article aids in recognising the value-creating interfaces and in fortifying the collaboration and finding synergy benefits.

Do the Peculiar Economics of Professional Team Sports Apply to Esports? Sequential Snowballing Literature Reviews and Implications

“…If there are some national leagues in esports, most of them involve more than one country or are even worldwide, consistent with the idea that esports communities are not bound by national borders or time zones (Jalonen 2019). A key difference between sports and esports is when they were established.…”

“…In the nascent literature on esports, there is not much research focusing specifically on economics. However, contributions by Mangeloja (2019), Parshakov (2019), and Ward and Harmon (2019) represent exceptions, together with some non-economic publications referring to economic aspects, e.g., Abanazir (2019) and Jalonen (2019). These five recent publications were used as start set.…”

“…It is a growing phenomenon, enjoying a rapid economic development worldwide, with revenue moving from USD 130m in 2012 to USD 1.6b forecasted in 2023 (Gough 2019. Esports has attracted attention inside and outside academia, opening debates on its definition and on whether it should be considered as a sport (see e.g., Cunningham et al 2018;Jalonen 2019;Summerley 2020), as well as its future evolution (Kim et al 2020;Peng et al 2020;Scholz 2019). Additionally, with the increasing number of well-established professional sports (e.g., football) clubs sponsoring esports (Bertschy et al 2020), actual links between sports and esports have started to emerge.…”

Research on Advertising Marketing in E-sports Competition in China

“…It is laterally shown that the mutual penetration between e-sports and secondary elements is relatively deep. The social aspect of online gaming and the following discussion of may reinforce the self-esteem of the players as well as the fans, which means a sense of accomplishment to an adolescent's life [2].…”

Basic Psychological-Need Satisfaction and Thwarting: A Study with Brazilian Professional Players of League of Legends

“…Although the studies mentioned were conducted only with athletes from traditional sports [21,22], the fact that eSports presents similar psychological demands [23] leads us to assume that, whether in electronic sports or traditional sports, the athletes' experience is significantly influenced by the coach's motivational environment [24], and it is necessary to investigate this premise. The eSport players' perceptions of the degree to which their coach-created climate is empowering and disempowering could provide a better understanding of the characteristics that favour or hinder the sporting experience, enabling the creation of healthier and more-adaptive motivational climates in the context represented by eSports [25].…”