A Hybrid SEM-fsQCA Approach to Examine Spectators’ Toxic Behavior in Professional Team Esports

Abstract

The 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.