This book provides important new insights into social issues in the rapidly growing field of esports, filling a gap in the literature that has, until now, been dominated by business and management perspectives.
Bringing together leading esports experts from Europe, North America, and Australia, the book provides new sociological analyses that define and locate esports in social studies. It explores key issues in esports and in the wider sociology of sport, including gender equity, diversity, cheating and doping, physical and mental health, and issues related to the governance of esports. Presenting new empirical research alongside critical, theoretical perspectives, the book addresses themes such as digitalisation, technology, equality, innovation, and welfare, suggesting directions for future research and highlighting implications for practice and development in the esports industry.
This is essential reading for advanced students, researchers, and practitioners working in esports, the sociology of sport, gaming studies, media studies, sociology, or the interaction of ICT and wider society.
Part I: Setting the scene, 1. Introduction to social issues in esports, 2. Social issues in esports: Current and emerging trends in research, Part II: Gender, 3. The representation of women in Hearthstone esports, 4. Leadership and gender inclusion in esports organisations, 5. The importance of female characters in esports: A quantitative analysis of players’ perceptions of gendered character representations in sports video games, Part III: Mental health and integrity issues, 6. Stress and coping in esports, 7. Doping in esports, 8. ‘Virtually cycling’: The impact of technology, cheating, and performance enhancement in bicycle e-racing, Part IV: Diversity and inclusion, 9. Understanding the potential for esports to support social inclusion agendas, 10. The Olympic Movement and esports governance: Finding the right way of cooperating for diversity, equity, and inclusion, Part V: Conclusion, 11. Conclusion: Moving forward in research on social issues in esports
Anne Tjønndal is Head of the Department of Leadership and Innovation and Head of RESPONSE – Research Group for Sport and Society at Nord University, Norway. She is also Visiting Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
