Levelling the playing field: profiling female active esports participants in South Africa

A new e-gaming format, called active esports, combines physical movement with gaming to promote female representation in the esports industry. This exploratory study provides a preliminary foundation for future theory-testing studies on technology acceptance and participation in active esports. A cross-sectional, self-administered online questionnaire was distributed nationally through a consumer research panel, and self-reported participation was verified against a predetermined list of qualifying and non-qualifying platforms using a dual-criterion screening procedure. Data were analysed in IBM SPSS Statistics version 31 using frequencies, percentages and means, supplemented by chi-square tests of independence, Fisher’s exact test where expected cell counts fell below five, and Cramér’s V effect sizes. Researchers studied 238 adult South African women (aged 18–56) to assess their participation in esports. The findings show a significant gap in female esports participation: 25.2% are active esports players, 5.5% are console-based players, and 69.3% are non-players. The average respondent was 30.33 years old, held an undergraduate degree, and had experience playing sports. They spend R101-R300 per month on active esports subscriptions, mostly for recreational use. Key barriers include demographics, play barriers, and marketing strategies. The study offers exploratory recommendations, based on descriptive findings, on demographic and behavioural segmentation strategies to reach the female mass market.