What is eSports and why do people watch it?
Hamari and Sjöblom, Internet Research 27(2), 2017. Online survey late February to late March 2015, 888 usable responses, mostly from eSports subreddits, 825 men and 63 women, mean age about 22.75. Ten motivations from a sports consumption scale. Positive predictors of watching frequency: knowledge acquisition, escape, enjoyment of aggression, novelty (weak). Aesthetics negative. Vicarious achievement, social interaction, drama, player skill and attractiveness did not predict frequency. Explained about 14 percent of variance in frequency. Self-reported, self-selected, mostly male and young; frequency only, not time. Reading depth: full text.
Hamari and Sjöblom, Internet Research 27(2), 2017. Online survey late February to late March 2015, 888 usable responses, mostly from eSports subreddits, 825 men and 63 women, mean age about 22.75. Ten motivations from a sports consumption scale. Positive predictors of watching frequency: knowledge acquisition, escape, enjoyment of aggression, novelty (weak). Aesthetics negative. Vicarious achievement, social interaction, drama, player skill and attractiveness did not predict frequency. Explained about 14 percent of variance in frequency. Self-reported, self-selected, mostly male and young; frequency only, not time. Reading depth: full text.
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Hamari, J., & Sjöblom, M. (2017). What is eSports and why do people watch it? Internet Research, 27(2), 211-232. doi:10.1108/intr-04-2016-0085 https://doi.org/10.1108/intr-04-2016-0085