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Billings A, Mikkilineni SD. The Next Best Thing: How Media Dependency and Uses and Gratifications Inform Esport Fandom During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Am Behav Sci 2023; 67:1212-1229. [PMID: 37475988 PMCID: PMC10350578 DOI: 10.1177/00027642221118277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 ushered new forms of media engagement when traditional sporting events and league play were suspended. Subsequently, certain sections of the audience moved online to fill their needs typically satisfied via traditional sport consumption. Esport is one such form of digital entertainment that significantly altered the ways in which sport fans can immerse themselves in related content. To examine how those audience obtained gratifications, we surveyed traditional sport fans who have either increased or initiated esports media consumption during the pandemic, doing so through the lens of media dependency theory. Results from 155 sports fans demonstrate three key findings. First, gratifications for traditional sports were significantly higher than those of esports. Secondly, ascending esports consumers maintained significantly more intense gratifications than did new users. Finally, media dependency was a significant, positive predictor of all 12 of the traditional sports motivations and 9 of the 12 esport motivations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Billings
- University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Arts and Humanities, Birmingham, AL, USA
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Czakó A, Király O, Koncz P, Yu SM, Mangat HS, Glynn JA, Romero P, Griffiths MD, Rumpf HJ, Demetrovics Z. Safer esports for players, spectators, and bettors: Issues, challenges, and policy recommendations. J Behav Addict 2023; 12:1-8. [PMID: 36961739 DOI: 10.1556/2006.2023.00012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The present paper provides an overview of the possible risks, harms, and challenges that might arise with the development of the esports field and pose a threat to professional esports players, spectators, bettors and videogame players, including underage players. These include physical and mental health issues, gambling and gambling-like elements associated with videogames and esports, the challenges arising from pursuing a career in esports, the unique difficulties women face, and a need for supporting professional esports players. It briefly discusses possible responses and suggestions regarding how to address and mitigate these negative consequences. It emphasizes the need for cooperation and collaboration between various stakeholders: researchers, policymakers, regulators, the gaming industry, esports organizations, healthcare and treatment providers, educational institutes and the need for further evidence-based information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Czakó
- 1Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar, Gibraltar
- 2Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Orsolya Király
- 2Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Patrik Koncz
- 2Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- 3Doctoral School of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Shu M Yu
- 1Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar, Gibraltar
| | - Harshdeep S Mangat
- 1Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar, Gibraltar
| | - Judith A Glynn
- 1Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar, Gibraltar
| | - Pedro Romero
- 1Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar, Gibraltar
| | - Mark D Griffiths
- 4International Gaming Research Unit, Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Hans-Jürgen Rumpf
- 5Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Zsolt Demetrovics
- 1Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar, Gibraltar
- 2Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
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Schmidt SCE, Sell S, Woll A. The Use of Compression Stockings to Reduce Water Retention in the Legs During Gaming and Esports: Randomized Controlled Field Study. Interact J Med Res 2022; 11:e25886. [PMID: 36173666 PMCID: PMC9562085 DOI: 10.2196/25886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background With the increasing digitalization of daily life, internet-based entertainment such as gaming and streaming has advanced to one of the megatrends of the 21st century. Besides offering a multitude of controversially discussed opportunities for entertainment and social interaction, there is reasonable concern about health issues caused by the absence of physical activity among activities linked to gaming and streaming. Objective The aim of this study is to compare the water balance of recreational gamers with and those without compression stockings during a gaming event. Methods We measured body composition and water balance with 8-electrode bioelectrical impedance analysis among 46 recreational gamers with an average age of 27.1 (SD 6.5) years (5/46, 11% women and 41/46, 89% men) before and after 24 hours at a gaming event. Of the 46 gamers, 23 (50%) gamers wore compression stockings for the duration of the study. Results Our study shows that prolonged gaming and associated behaviors during a 24-hour time frame lead to an increase in total body water (+0.76 L; P<.001) and a decrease of phase angle in the lower extremities (−0.47°; P<.001) but not in the upper extremities (+0.09°; P=.80), when no compression is used. Gamers using compression socks did not show any significant negative effects on their body composition. Conclusions Prolonged gaming and streaming are serious risk factors for diseases associated with water retention in the legs, and these risks can be measured by bioelectrical impedance and reduced by wearing compression stockings. We conclude that these findings should be discussed and replicated in larger studies and that there is a considerably large market for compression stockings among gamers and live streamers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stefan Sell
- Joint Center Black Forest, Hospital Neuenbuerg, Neuenbuerg, Germany
| | - Alexander Woll
- Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
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Moen F, Vatn M, Olsen M, Haugan JA, Skalicka V. Sleep Characteristics in Esport Players and Associations With Game Performance: Residual Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling. Front Sports Act Living 2022; 3:697535. [PMID: 35098116 PMCID: PMC8794592 DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2021.697535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The current study aimed to examine sleep characteristics of esport players and the stipulated effects of game performance on consecutive sleep characteristics using residual dynamic structural equation modeling (RDSEM). A sample of 27 Counterstrike players with a mean age of 18½ years participated in the current study. Sleep was detected over a period of 56 days with a Somnofy sleep monitor that utilizes an impulse radio ultra-wideband puls radar and Dopler technology, and weekly game performance was reported by the players. The results showed that esport players' sleep characteristics were in the lower levels of recommended guidelines and that sleep onset started later and sleep offset ended later in the morning compared with athletes from other traditional sports. The esport players displayed stable patterns in sleep onset, sleep offset, time in bed, sleep efficiency and non-REM respiration rates per minute (NREM RPM). On the between-person level, esport players with better game performance spent more time sleeping (r = 0.55) and scored lower on NREM RPM (r = -0.44). Unstandardized within-person cross-lagged paths showed that better game performance predicted subsequent earlier sleep offset. The within-level standardized estimates of the cross-lagged paths revealed that participants with better game performance spent subsequently more time in deep sleep (0.20), less time in light sleep (-0.14), less time in bed (-0.16), and displayed lower NREM RPM (-0.21), earlier sleep offset (-0.21), and onset (-0.09). The findings of better game performance being related to better sleep are discussed in terms of existing knowledge on how stress responses elicitated by poor performance might impact on non-REM respiration rates and sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frode Moen
- Department of Education and Lifelong Learning, Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Centre for Elite Sports Research, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Marte Vatn
- Department of Sociology and Political Science, Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Maja Olsen
- Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Centre for Elite Sports Research, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Jan Arvid Haugan
- Department of Education and Lifelong Learning, Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Vera Skalicka
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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Mendoza G, Clemente-Suárez VJ, Alvero-Cruz JR, Rivilla I, García-Romero J, Fernández-Navas M, Albornoz-Gil MC, Jiménez M. The Role of Experience, Perceived Match Importance, and Anxiety on Cortisol Response in an Official Esports Competition. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021; 18:2893. [PMID: 33808997 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18062893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to analyse the neuroendocrine stress response, psychological anxiety response, and perceived match importance (PMI) between expert and non-expert control gamers in an official competitive context. We analyzed, in 25 expert esports players and 20 control participants, modifications in their somatic anxiety, cognitive anxiety, self-confidence, PMI, and cortisol in a League of Legends competition. We found how expert esports players presented higher cortisol concentrations (Z = 155.5; p = 0.03; Cohen’s d = −0.66), cognitive anxiety (Z = 99.5; p = 0.001), and PMI (Z = 50.5; p < 0.001) before the competition than non-experts participants. We found a greater statistical weight in the cognitive variables than in the physiological ones. The results obtained suggest that real competitive context and player’s expertise were factors associated with an anticipatory stress response. The PMI proved to be a differentiating variable between both groups, highlighting the necessity to include subjective variables that contrast objective measurements.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Video gaming is highly prevalent in modern culture, particularly among young people, and a healthy hobby for the majority of users. However, in recent years, there has been increasing global recognition that excessive video gaming may lead to marked functional impairment and psychological distress for a significant minority of players. Esports is a variant of video gaming. It is a relatively new phenomenon but has attracted a considerable number of followers across the world and is a multimillion dollar industry. The aim of this briefing paper is to review the global situation on esports and related public health implications. METHODS A non-systematic review was conducted. Information obtained from the Internet and PubMed was collated and presented as genres of games, varieties and magnitudes of impacts, popularity, fiscal impact in monetary terms, government involvement, and public health implications. RESULTS There are several different kinds of esports but there was no clear categorization on the genre of games. Many tournaments have been organized by gaming companies across the world with huge prize pools, and some of these events have government support. Little information on the health effects associated with esports was identified. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS A majority of the sources of information were from commercial settings, and failed to declare conflicts of interest, which may result in a biased picture of the current situation. When gaming activity is being further promoted under the umbrella of esports, it seems reasonable to expect an increase in problematic gaming and thus increased prevalence of gaming disorder and hazardous gaming. With increasing demand for treatment services for gaming addition/disorder in different countries across the world, it is a significant public health concern. More empirically based research on this topic is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Chung
- Student Health Service, Department of Health, Hong Kong SAR, China,Corresponding author: Thomas Chung; Consultant Community Medicine; Family and Student Health Services, Department of Health, 4/F Lam Tin Polyclinic, 99 Kai Tin Road, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Phone: +852 3163 4608; Fax: +852 2717 1720; E-mail:
| | - Simmy Sum
- Student Health Service, Department of Health, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Monique Chan
- Student Health Service, Department of Health, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ely Lai
- Student Health Service, Department of Health, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Nanley Cheng
- Student Health Service, Department of Health, Hong Kong SAR, China
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