LITERATURE REVIEW
Video gaming and online competitive gaming are rapidly acquiring mainstream attention. Most of the television networks around the world have also started broadcasting such competitions as well. For this practice, the term eSport has been phrased. However, the lawmakers and regulators among the government and institutions still have to agree if it is indeed sports. This paper will analyze the factors which propel these government and sports institutions to propel in recognizing e-sports as sports as well. This section will analyze and review the literature on E-sports and the factors which have been causing the government and institutions to consider it as a genuine sport.
A recent article on e-sports by Holden, Rodenberg, and Kaburakis (2017) shows that competitive video gaming has been gaining quite an attention in sports television networks. The paper provides a comprehensive and detailed examination of the application of the tests, which has previously been used for determining if an activity is a sports activity or not. The paper shows the probable streams of litigations that are specific to activities termed as sports. The paper shows that the classification of eSport as a sport would have a substantial influence on the industry, most specifically in the form of increased litigation exposure. The paper shows that without even with the proclamation of considering eSport as a sport, regular leagues have been started to establish as other sports events. This shows that the development of eSport as a mainstream sport is underway. The paper shows that with continued investment in the future as well for the eSport events, potential litigation will make its way to courts in some years as well.
The paper has made an important point with regard to the interest of the governments and lawmakers in this field. As per this paper, the relationship between the eSport, its developers, game makers, producers, and the gambling industry is far closer as compared to the traditional sports and their derivative gambling industries, which often makes these games more interesting for the lawmakers and governments. The paper shows that eSport is very different in terms of its different aspects of the game; however, the stakeholders of the eSport would only become successful in continuing its growth if they will be successful in convincing the government and law institutions that it can fit in the same governance model as the traditional games.
Another similar study conducted by Daniel and Bandon shows the concept behind why eSport should be considered as a sport. The first part of the article shows the definition of sports and determines if competitive video gaming satisfies the definition of sport. The latter part of the paper is based on the discussion of how eSport should be recognized by the NCAA. This paper is very strong in terms of showing how eSport fulfills the terms and conditions as per the NCAA to be considered as a sport.
However, there are still areas that can be further strengthened. For instance, the use of women in eSport should be focused as well. The lack of gender identification is another important topic that should be considered in research as well as it is a common practice in the sports community. Studies focusing on comparing the eSport leagues as a business as compared to MMA leagues can highlight its potential for investors propelling them to consider it as a real sport as well (Kane and Spradley, 2017).
An article published in 2019 in the Journal of Gambling Studies showed the systematic literature review on the psychology of eSport (Bányai et al., ). The study shows that the level of skill involved in the mastering and playing of video games has led it to be considered as a professional activity in the form of professional sports. The paper has focused on the review of the main psychological interests about the game and the similarities between the eSport games and the problem and professional gambling. The paper has shown three topics under which the literature on eSport was reviewed. This consisted of the; 1) the process of becoming an eSport player, 2) the features of the eSport players in terms of motivation and mental skills, and 3) the motivation of eSport spectators.
The paper gives insights into the psychological interest points of the eSport players. The paper has also highlighted the similarities between professional gamblers and eSport players. This study has shown that psychological vulnerabilities of the eSport players and the lack of physical activity and its nature of excessive use. The study shows that for being considered as professional sports, eSport is already being considered in around 40 countries. However, it still has to earn a sport status yet. The paper, however, is based on scarce empirical data, and thus further study is needed to identify if there are certain psychological vulnerabilities for eSport players.
Another study conducted on the growing popularity of the eSport in terms of the market value and the growing number of participants was also conducted in 2019. This study focused on the areas of issues linked to eSport. These are the economic dimensions of the eSport industry, the structure of the eSport industry, and the association among the eSport and the traditional sports and the future and current research which has been devoted to the eSport in these aspects. The study identifies that the stakeholders’ roles in the eSport industry are not as defined as in the traditional sports industries. The paper shows that for the continued growth of the eSport industry, it would be vital that the government and financial institutions continuously adapt to the changes in the industry. The paper has shown and emphasized the focus paid in the previous literature on the complementary among the traditional and eSport. The paper has, however, not shown how the sport’s economics will get affected by the eSport and what economic factors will propel the growth of the eSport globally (Chikish, Carreras and Garci, 2019).
There are also many research institutions which have conducted studies on eSport and its future as well. Deloitte is one such institution known for its credibility and authentic studies. The institution has published a report on the rise of eSport investments. The report shows that around $4.5 Billion was invested in 2018 in eSport. Most of these investments were through Venture Capital. The company research report shows that the year 2018 showed a record number of investments in eSport and also record high amount of dollars of investment in eSport as well. For the very first time, private equity investors have also got involved in the industry in a meaningful manner while there were only nine disclosed investments from any private equity investors until 2017. Traditional investors started taking an interest in this industry for the purpose of exploring different ways to gain exposure to the industry. It is an identification of the maturity of the industry and shows that the industry will soon appeal to the mainstream investors as well. The report shows that the most significant merit of this industry is its core demographics as the global fan base of the industry is around 380 million, which constitutes 37% males and 16% females all aged between 21 and 35 years (Deolitte, 2019).
References
Bányai, F., Griffiths, M.D., Király, O. and Demetrovics, Z. (2019) ‘The psychology of esports: A systematic literature review’, Journal of gambling studies, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 351-365.
Chikish, Y., Carreras, M. and Garci, J. (2019) ‘eSports: A New Era for the Sports Industry and a New Impulse for the Research in Sports (and) Economics?’, in Sports (and) Economics, FUNCAS.
Deolitte (2019) The rise of esports investments, April, [Online], Available: https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/finance/drfa-rise-of-esports-investments.pdf [20 March 2020].
Holden, J.T., Kaburakis, A. and Rodenberg, R. (2017) ‘The Future Is Now: Esports Policy Considerations and Potential Litigation’, Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 46-78.
Kane, D. and Spradley, B.D. (2017) ‘Recognizing ESports as a Sport’, The Sport Journal, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1-9.
