Understanding the Present and Preparing for the Future in Collegiate Esports

While esports continues to grow as a varsity sport across higher education campuses, new programs are being built focusing on esports as a field of study. However, more research is needed about how esports programs are being administered on college campuses and how these programs are being measured for success. This three-article dissertation focuses on esports at the collegiate and undergraduate levels. The first study is a literature review focused on topics of research available for reading assignments in an online program based on the esports ecosystem as defined by Anderson et al. (2018). It contains an examination of current major trends in available literature as considered for inclusion in an undergraduate esports program. Gaps in literature and directions for future study are discussed as well as proposing a new category to the esports ecosystem titled scholars. The second study examines where esports programs are situated within their respective universities and how they are administered. Descriptive statistics and quantitative analysis were used to investigate which attributes are common and correlated across esports programs. Programs were most commonly found as a part of the athletics department being run by a director or head coach. Relevant correlations were found between championship wins, academic success, and scholarship offerings. The third study examined how esports program leaders define success and what elements of program structure and funding might lead to program success as defined by esports coaches and directors. Qualitative methods were used to assess how program leaders define and measure success and if this is different from how the administration views success. Statistical analysis is used to analyze if their definitions are moderated by college or program attributes such as school size, program size, and funding. Multiple regression analysis is used to determine what attributes contribute to success as defined by program leaders. Collectively, these articles provide a foundation for future research into esports at the collegiate level. They provided information for practitioners wishing to learn how other esports programs are being administered and what may lead to success as defined by other program leaders.