Public perception of esports: an examination of esports image and genre differences

As esports continues to gain popularity, a clear understanding of the public image associated with esports would help corporations and organizations working within or collaborating with the esports industry to establish effective communication strategies for their target audiences. In this study, we identify the image people associate with esports and examine whether it varies across different esports genres. Two surveys were conducted for exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, followed by a series of ANOVA. Results reveal mixed image of esports, comprising three negative associations (i.e. provocative, addictive, and impulsive) and four positive associations (i.e. entertaining, competitive, aesthetic, and social). Moreover, distinct patterns exist for the image of esports across five different genres (i.e. Fighting, FPS, MOBA, Sport Simulation, and DCC games). It appears that positive associations vary more distinctly across esports genres than negative associations. Findings imply that there is no “one-size-fits-all” regarding how esports are perceived, highlighting the image of esports as multidimensional, highly contextual and advising against uniform treatment.