ESports in Russia as a Marketing Object and Social Phenomenon
How to Cite
Solodnikov V.V., Timofeeva V.I. 2020. ESports in Russia as a Marketing Object and Social Phenomenon — Sociologicheskaja nauka i social’naja praktika. Vol. 8. No. 1. P. 167-187. DOI: https://doi.org/10.19181/snsp.2020.8.1.7102
Abstract
The article discusses the relatively new concept of computer sports. Computer sports (or eSports) have so far been studied mainly by representatives of business and marketing. The attention of researchers was mainly attracted by its target audience, both players and spectators, the main types and criteria of eSports disciplines, as well as indicators of commercial success. Based on the results of four author’s qualitative local studies and secondary data analysis, the article successively describes the key actors in the Russian eSports market: eSports organizations, advertisers/sponsors, media platforms covering tournaments, participating teams and spectators. The main interconnected structural components of the organization / units of the holding (eSports arenas, advertising agency and the teams themselves) are considered. Also presented are expert assessments from eSports competitors, allowing the evaluation of not only the peculiarities of the recruitment of eSports competitors, but also of the degree of their amateurism/professionalism, the attitude toward age restrictions on competitors and toward state control over the development of eSports, the potential of eSports as an advertising market and, generally, the current state of the eSports market in Russia, as well as its prospects for development.
Keywords:
eSport, actors, eSports industry development expectations, attitudes to eSports
References
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Hamari J., Sjöblom M. (2017). What is eSports and why do people watch it? Internet Research. № 27 (2). С. 211–232. DOI: 10.1108/IntR-04-2016-0085.
Hilvert-Bruce Z. (2018). Social motivations of live-streaming viewer engagement on Twitch. Computers in Human Behavior. № 84. P. 58–67.
Kane D., Spradley B. D. (2017). Recognizing Esports as a Sport. The Sport Journal. URL: http:// thesportjournal.org/article/recognizing-esports-as-a-sport/ (date of access: 14.05.2018).
Newbury E. (2017). The Case of Competitive Video Gaming and Its Fandom: Media Objects, Fan Practices, and Fan Identities. 182 c.
Rosenberg D. (2018). GMR eSports Research. GMR. URL: https://gmrmarketing.com/en-us/ page/esports-report (date of access: 14.03.2020).
Sjöblom M. (2017). Why do people watch others play video games? An empirical study on the motivations of Twitch users. Computers in Human Behavior. № 75. P. 985–996. DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.10.019.
Tassi P. The U.S. Now Recognizes eSports Players As Professional Athletes. Forbes: July 14, 2013. URL: https://forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2013/07/14/the-u-s-now-recognizes-esports-players-as-professional-athletes (date of access: 14.05.2018).
Hilvoorde I. Van, Pot N. (2016). Embodiment and fundamental motor skills in eSports. Sport Ethics and Philosophy. № 10. P. 14–27. DOI: 10.1080/17511321.2016.1159246
Article
Received: 16.12.2019
Accepted: 01.04.2020
Citation Formats
Other cite formats:
Harvard
Solodnikov, V. V. and Timofeeva, V. I. (2020) ’ESports in Russia as a Marketing Object and Social Phenomenon’, Sociologicheskaja nauka i social’naja praktika, 8(1), pp. 167-187. doi: https://doi.org/10.19181/snsp.2020.8.1.7102.
Section
DISCUSSION FORUM
Publisher: Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FCTAS RAS)