Title: eSports: a new era of spectator games from a consumer's viewpoint

Authors: Alan D. Smith; Amber A. Smith-Ditizio

Addresses: Department of Marketing, Robert Morris University, Moon Township, PA 15108, USA ' Department of Kinesiology, Texas Woman's University, Denton, TX 76204, USA

Abstract: It is common to assume that motivations for eSports will match motivations for other industries, such as traditional sports. While this provides a baseline for motivations, it is necessary to study the industry itself, not only use preexisting models. Based on a review of existing research in the field of eSports, important driving forces include accessibility, competitiveness, and socialisation. Accessibility includes pricing models and media in which players can spectate and participate. Competitiveness includes players improving their skill, participating in tournaments, and equality. Socialisation includes a sense of community, playing with friends, and community created content. These forces were examined in the present study. This study involved the creation and distribution of a survey online with questions pertaining to motivation and participation in eSports. The survey was distributed online, with 750 respondents. The majority of respondents were males, 18-25 years of age. Results of the data analysis indicate that achievement and social factors are two main needs satisfied by participating in eSports, and most users who responded to the survey preferred to view eSports via the internet to any other medium.

Keywords: empirical; eSports; gaming industry; marketing; motivational research.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIS.2021.113286

International Journal of Business Information Systems, 2021 Vol.36 No.3, pp.406 - 431

Received: 05 Sep 2018
Accepted: 25 Nov 2018
Published online: 26 Feb 2021 *

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