A systematic literature review of esports integrity

Abstract While esports activities have been constantly growing over the past two decades, academic literature on esports has emerged in several fields, including in the appraisal of various integrity dimensions of the games in recent years. The authors conducted a first systematic review of this literature on esports integrity in order to synthetize existing knowledge and establish the potential academic research gaps in this area. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology has been used, as well as the eSAFE conceptual framework. 57 scientific sources have been included in the analysis, which outlines a relatively laconic and fragmented literature. However, various issues related to the prevalence of integrity risks, regulatory measures and policies or perceptions from the fans and participants attract an increasing interest. Key avenues for further research are the specificities of integrity risks and management within different games, as well as sectorial-wide dimensions, such as regulation (including public law and private disciplinary frameworks) and policies design and enforcement. Finally, we discuss practical implications of our research.