ESPORTS FROM THOSE WHO HAVE NEVER HEARD TO THOSE WHO PLAY: EXAMINING THE AWARENESS OF ESPORTS IN TRABZON UNIVERSITY

Technology and the internet have brought innovations in all areas of life and have brought a new dimension to the understanding of sports. Traditional sports understanding has moved to digital platforms with the change in communication technologies. Digital games that individuals play at the desk or smartphones and tablets are a means of relaxation and a different branch of sport. Digital games, which are preferred to spend leisure time, have attracted attention over time and turned into professional games. The games, which are followed with interest by the young generation, are no longer a leisure activity. While esports players are recognised worldwide, the awareness of esports in Turkey is increasing day by day. This professionalisation has turned digital games into sports thanks to the increase in the audience. Today, esports is a new sports branch that is accepted all over the world and tournaments are organised. The scope of this study is to examine the level of awareness of esports and the studies on esports and to measure the awareness of esports. Within the scope of the study, esports researches published in Turkey were scanned and classified according to their content. In addition, in order to determine the awareness of esports in the research, data were obtained by using the survey method with Trabzon University Faculty of Communication students. As a result of the research, it was found that esports awareness varies according to age, income, game playing time.