eSports and Olympic Games: situational

analysis of Rio 2016 case study

VanissaWanick¹,LeonardoMataruna²¹WSA,UniversityofSouthampton,²CoventryUniversity

Keywords:eSports,games,culture,sportmanagement

Summary • Gaming culture •  eSports (introduction) •  eSports at Rio2016 • A legacy? • Conclusion and discussion

Gaming culture

• Fastest growing entertainment industry • Ludic identity

(Raessens, 2006), access to any type of digital game (mobile, PC, etc) • Gaming capital

(Consalvo, 2009 => gaming knowledge

h;p://mashable.com/2013/03/01/moma-video-games-exhibit-pics/#DN_ju4EEd8qn

h;p://theconversaQon.com/video-games-have-cultural-cachet-so-recognise-their-place-in-society-and-history-35522

eSports (Electronic sports) •  Fans, spectators,

participants •  Organised tournaments •  Started at 1980’s but not

too popular •  Followed technological

advances •  Arenas •  Streaming platforms •  22 mi participants, more

than 500 professional gamers

“ESports is an area of sport activities in which people develop, train and compare mental or physical abilities using information and communication technologies through video games.”

Wagner(2006)

Games

• MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena), like League of Legends (LoL) Othergames:DOTA,WarcraX,etc

Players

•  eSports super stars/celebrities, coaches, teams, cosplay culture • Moving towards

virtual embodiment

h;p://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zygq2hv

A few features: strategy, fitness and reaction times New skills involved Note: narrators have a significant role

Spectators

• Can be anywhere (online, arena, etc) • Excitement and

enjoyment • Fans • Can make comments

online in the videos (participative, real time feedback)

A legacy?

• Values: trust, respect, collaboration, competition, competence • Business opportunity • Communities of fans •  Inclusive, if you’re a good gamer

Rio 2016

•  eSports at Rio2016 • UK, Canada, Brazil

and USA confirmed => How to integrate new countries? • Age group (over 18) • Prize (not $$)

h;p://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35987839

Readmore:h;ps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/04/06/egames-esports-rio-2016-olympics/

Analysis and questions

• How to deal with risk in eSports? • How to understand virtual embodiment in

eSports? • How to explore sports values within eSports? • What about social education? And ethics?

Conclusion and future research • How to deal with things

like Nationalism in eSports? • Age group (some might

be under 18) • What is the impact of

technologies like VR/AR in eSports (both gamers and spectators)?

References Mataruna, L. (2007). Percepção dos Jogos Pan-Americanos Rio 2007 por especialistas internacionais em estudos Olímpicos. In: Rejane Penna Rodrigues; Leila Mirtes Magalhães Pinto; Rodrigo Terra; Lamartine P.

DaCosta. (Org.). Legados de Megaeventos Esportivos. 1ed.Brasília: Ministério do Esporte, 2008, v. 1, p. 337-342.

Taylor, L.L. (2014). Introduction to ESPORTS: your guide to the world of electronic sports and how it has become a million-dollar business. Digital Independent Book.

Consalvo, M. (2009). Cheating: Gaining advantage in videogames. Mit Press.

Zambrano, C. (2014). Havok: your introduction to esports. Book1. California: Havok Series.

Raessens, J. (2006). Playful identities, or the ludification of culture. Games and Culture, 1(1), 52-57.

Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UksbnbWjbPs

V. Wanick thanks the program Science Without Borders, managed by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Brazil, for grants provided for this research L. Mataruna thanks the CARNiVAL project sponsored by European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013/under REA grant agreement n° 612614

Thank you!