The Routledge Handbook of Esports offers the first fully comprehensive, interdisciplinary study of esports, one of the fastest growing sectors of the contemporary sports and entertainment industries. Global in coverage, the book emphasizes the multifaceted nature of esports and explores the most pressing issues defining the competitive video gaming landscape today.
Featuring the work of 93 leading esports academics and industry specialists from around the world, and rigorously peer-reviewed, the book is structured around ten key themes: 1) Introduction to Esports, 2) Esports Research, 3) Esports Players, 4) Esports Business and Management, 5) Esports Media and Communication, 6) Esports Education, 7) Critical Concerns in Esports, 8) Global Esports Cultures, 9) Esports Future Directions, and 10) Key Terms Definitions. Examining the current state of esports, emerging areas of interest and the ongoing debates shaping the esports industry, each of the 62 chapters offers key highlights, an assessment of the latest research, practical esports examples and recommendations, and is complemented by enlightening case studies or industry interviews. For further academic and professional depth, chapters also include a guide to recommended additional resources.
Explaining technical terms and gaming jargon in a user-friendly manner, and maintaining a balanced tone throughout, this handbook is essential reading for any student or researcher with an interest in esports, gaming, or sport studies, and for any practitioner or policy-maker working in the esports industry.
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION TO ESPORTS
1.1 Introduction to Esports
Nicolas Besombes, Seth E. Jenny, and Tom Brock
1.2 Defining and Spelling Esports
Nepomuk Nothelfer, Seth E. Jenny, and Nicolas Besombes
1.3 Global History of Esports
Dal Yong Jin and Nicolas Besombes
1.4 Esports Ecosystems and Stakeholders
José Agustín Carrillo Vera and Marcos Antón
1.5 Esports Genres and Games
Russell Hamer and Nicolas Besombes
1.6 Esports Developers, Publishers, and Game Design Considerations
Graham Ashton
1.7 Esports Equipment and Infrastructure
Danielle Rourke and Ray Pastore
SECTION 2: ESPORTS RESEARCH
2.1 Introduction to Esports Research
Seth E. Jenny and Nicolas Besombes
2.2 Current Status and Key Topics in Esports Research
Bradley J. Baker, Benjamin T. Sharpe, and Seth E. Jenny
2.3 Organizations, Labs/Centers, and Journals Related to Esports Research
Seth E. Jenny, Brandon C. Harris, Tobias M. Scholz, and Nicolas Besombes
2.4 General Recommendations for Esports Research
Mark J. Campbell, Seth E. Jenny, Sarah C. Cregan, and Tim D. Smithies
2.5 Qualitative Esports Research Methodology
Amanda C. Cote, Maxwell Foxman, and Ying-Ying Law
2.6 Survey Esports Research Methodology
Joseph Macey and Juho Hamari
2.7 Experimental/Intervention Esports Research Methodology
Joanne DiFrancisco-Donoghue and Peter Varga
SECTION 3: ESPORTS PLAYERS
3.1 Introduction to Esports Players
Seth E. Jenny and Tobias M. Scholz
3.2 Esports Players
Hee Jung Hong and Dario Wünsch
3.3 Esports Performance Skills
Seth E. Jenny
3.4 Esports Player Analytics
Peter Varga, Tobias M. Scholz, and Evelyn T.S. Tan
3.5 Esports Coaching
Matthew Watson, Seth E. Jenny, and Taylor Johnson
3.6 Applied Sport Psychology in Esports
Laura Swettenham, Callum Abbott, and Oliver Leis
3.7 Esports Player Health and Wellness
Lindsey Migliore
3.8 Esports Ergonomics and Injuries
Caitlin McGee, Kevin Ho, and Seth E. Jenny
3.9 Esports Player Parental and Family Support
Carol Ann Meissner
3.10 Esports Professional Player Career Process
Wil Fisackerly
SECTION 4: ESPORTS BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
4.1 Introduction to Esports Business and Management
Tobias M. Scholz and Tom Brock
4.2 Esports Business and Finance
Petr Parshakov and Angel Barajas
4.3 Esports Management
Dina Gentile
4.4 Organizing Esports Events
Miralem Helmefalk, Adele Berndt, Brian McCauley, Martin Eliasson Borg, and Viktor Erlandsson
4.5 Esports Venue Design and Management
Nyle Sky Kauweloa
4.6 Esports Hospitality and Tourism
Leandro Becka, Marcos Antón, José Agustín Carrillo Vera, and Federico Iván Ruera
4.7 Esports Branding and Marketing
Brian McCauley and Bradley J. Baker
4.8 Sponsorship in Esports
Anthony D. Pizzo and David P. Hedlund
4.9 Esports Public Relations
Kevin Mitchell, Jana Möglich, and Alan Ritacco
4.10 Human Resource Management in Esports
Pia Büßecker, Friederike Lenke, Matthias Ruhland, Gian Luca Vitale, and Tobias M. Scholz
SECTION 5: ESPORTS MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION
5.1 Introduction to Esports Media and Communication
Amanda C. Cote and Tobias M. Scholz
5.2 Esports Journalism
Jacob Wolf and Amanda C. Cote
5.3 Esports Production
Matt Knutson and Jonathan Liebig
5.4 Streaming Esports
Jason Smethers
5.5 Esports Spectatorship
Tanja Välisalo, Tom Brock, and Ying-Ying Law
5.6 Esports Fandom
Josh Jarrett
SECTION 6: ESPORTS EDUCATION
6.1 Introduction to Esports Education
Seth E. Jenny
6.2 Esports Education
Seth E. Jenny, Joey Gawrysiak, James O'Hagan, and Nicolas Besombes
6.3 Competitive Collegiate Esports Programs
Maxwell Foxman, Seth E. Jenny, Amanda C. Cote, Michele R. King, Leandro Becka
6.4 Competitive Primary and Secondary School Esports Programs
Miles Madison Harvey
SECTION 7: CRITICAL CONCERNS IN ESPORTS
7.1 Introduction to Critical Concerns in Esports
Tom Brock and Amanda C. Cote
7.2 Esports Governance and Esports Law
Cem Abanazir and Tsubasa Shinohara
7.3 Esports in the Olympics
Seth E. Jenny, Sam Schelfhout, and Nicolas Besombes
7.4 Esports Gambling
Tom Brock and Mark R. Johnson
7.5 Ethics and Cheating in Esports
William Clyde Partin
7.6 Toxicity in Esports
Julian Frommel and Regan L. Mandryk
7.7 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Esports
Usva Friman, Maria Ruotsalainen, and Matilda Ståhl
7.8 Esports for People with Disabilities
Lobna Hassan, Pauliina Baltzar, and Markus Kämäräinen
7.9 Esports Environmental Sustainability
Julia Hiltscher and Jana Möglich
SECTION 8: GLOBAL ESPORTS CULTURES
8.1 Introduction to Global Esports Cultures
Amanda C. Cote, Nicolas Besombes, and Seth E. Jenny
8.2 Esports Culture in the Middle East and Africa
Hashem El-Borno and Yasmine Mokhtar
8.3 Esports Culture in Asia
Yaewon Jin and Se Jin Kim
8.4 Esports Culture in Europe
Raine Koskimaa
8.5 Esports Culture in Oceania
David Micallef and Jessica Formosa
8.6 Esports Culture in North America
Ben Scholl and Bryce Stout
8.7 Esports Culture in South America
Tarcízio Macedo, Gabriela Birnfeld Kurtz, and Leandro Becka
SECTION 9: ESPORTS FUTURE DIRECTIONS
9.1 The Future of Esports
Seth E. Jenny, Tom Brock, Tobias M. Scholz, Amanda C. Cote, and Nicolas Besombes
SECTION 10: KEY TERMS DEFINITIONS
10.1 Key Terms Definitions
Seth E. Jenny, Nicolas Besombes, Tom Brock, Amanda C. Cote, and Tobias M. Scholz
Biography
Senior Editor
Seth E. Jenny is Associate Professor teaching esports courses within the Department of Exercise Science at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (SRU), USA. He serves as a founding board member of the Esports Research Network, Associate Editor of the Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports and the International Journal of Esports, and faculty advisor to the SRU Esports Club. X: @DrSethJenny Website: https://www.sethjenny.com
Associate Editors
Nicolas Besombes is Associate Professor with the Sports Faculty of Université Paris Cité, France. He is a founding board member of the Esports Research Network, founding member of the French Speaking Association for Esports Research and Studies, and is the former Vice President of France Esports.
Tom Brock is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. He is the Reviews Editor for the Journal of Consumer Culture and sits on the editorial boards of the Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds, Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports, International Journal of Esports, and Critical Gambling Studies.
Amanda C. Cote is Associate Professor and Director of the Serous Games Certificate in the Department of Media and Information at Michigan State University, USA. Her research focusses on gender, identity and representation, game development and labor, and collegiate esports.
Tobias M. Scholz is Associate Professor for Esports at the University of Agder, Norway. He serves as the founding chair of the Esports Research Network, he co-wrote an invited esports report for the European Parliament, and is co-editor of the book series eSports Yearbook.
