Esports
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10125/107513
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Item type: Item , Affect and Performance across Double-Elimination Tournaments: A Field Study of Super Smash Bros Competitors(2024-01-03) Nolla, Kyle; Beeman, Mark; Reber, PaulEsports provide an opportunity to study the relationship between affect and competitive performance in highly structured yet ecologically valid environments. In this study, we examine self-ratings of affect, performance pressure, and self-other focus within 90 competitors over the course of 327 sets of games in national-level Super Smash Bros tournaments. Within competitors, higher arousal is associated with loss in the next tournament set, even when controlling for known predictors of outcome such as competitor and opponent skill levels, time, and the random effect of competitor. Mediation analyses suggest that perceived performance pressure does not cause increased arousal leading to loss, nor does increased arousal lead to elevated self-focus. In all, esports competitors may benefit from emotion regulation skills training to down-regulate arousal and optimize performance. To conclude we consider the role of double-elimination tournament structure in shaping the affective experiences of competitors.Item type: Item , User Experience of Virtual Reality-Based Digital Sports: A Topic Modeling Approach(2024-01-03) Chen, Hong; Li, HongxiuDigital technologies have been found to transform our society. During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people have started their usage of digital sports. However, little research has provided a deep understanding of the user experience of digital sports at the individual participant level. To address the research gap, this study explores how virtual reality (VR)-based digital sports satisfy users’ innate needs based on the psychological needs of humans and self-determination theory. By conducting a topic modeling with 11,676 tweets generated by VR-based digital golf participation users from Twitter, we identified some elements within VR-based digital golf to explain how VR-based digital golf satisfies participation users’ three psychological needs, including the need of autonomy, the need of relatedness, and the need of competence.Item type: Item , Where do Amateurs Go to Become Pros? A Comparison of the Current Competition Systems in Collegiate Esports to Traditional Collegiate Sport Environments(2024-01-03) Fisackerly, Wil; Hwang, YongjinResearchers are interested in how the collegiate esports model can follow that of the traditional sports talent pipelines. This piece seeks to conceptualize the manifestations of collegiate esports unique from traditional sports, as it integrates into the higher education model. In the current esports ecosystem, game developers own all intellectual property associated with the games and thus run the operations of leagues and/or tournaments themselves. Because of this, the pipeline seen in traditional sports is not transferrable or mimicked in the collegiate esports realm. The result is unique considerations for higher education administrators and coordinators regarding the retention of players and the recruitment of players from other institutions and professional circles. This line of research will lay the foundations for future study in collegiate esports and assist in building the literature on the esports ecosystem.Item type: Item , A Hybrid SEM-fsQCA Approach to Examine Spectators’ Toxic Behavior in Professional Team Esports(2024-01-03) Qian, Yizhou; Yu, Bo; Seifried, Chad; Martinez, Mike; Matz, Robbie; Luo, LeiThe rising popularity of professional team esports has brought along an unwelcome increase in toxic behavior (TB) during live esports streams. To better understand the dynamics of TB, we collected a survey sample of League of Legends (LoL) Esports audience (n = 430) members and delved into the influence of Big Five and Dark Triad personality traits, game identification, team identification, as well as demographics on TB. Employing the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), we found that conscientiousness, openness to experience, neuroticism, psychopathy, game identification, and gender were significant predictors of TB. The fsQCA results highlighted that both high or low levels of TB would arise from a composite mix of variables rather than a single determinant. This study emphasizes the intricate interconnections between various TB influencers and provides new insights into the complexity of TB.Item type: Item , Duty of Care in Esports: Organizational Support for Esports Players’ Mental Wellbeing and Physical Health(2024-01-03) Hong, Hee JungThis paper examines the perspectives of esports players on organizational support for enhancing their mental wellbeing and physical health throughout their esports careers. Drawing on one of the most extensive datasets in the field, to the author’s knowledge, a total of 33 participants – professional (n = 21), semi-professional (n = 6), amateur (n = 4), and retired players (n = 2) – were recruited for the study. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis was conducted, identifying three key themes: (a) Limited organizational support available, (b) Demand for psychological and mental support, and (c) Importance of maintaining fitness and addressing physical health issues. The results indicate that organizational support was limited, necessitating further attention from stakeholders to establish structured support systems for players. The findings also highlight the significance of providing support to enhance esports players’ performance and overall wellbeing, emphasizing the promotion of mental wellbeing and physical health.Item type: Item , Introduction to the Minitrack on Esports(2024-01-03) Siuda, Piotr; Behnke, Maciej; Hedlund, David