The psychology of eSports is a concept that we will see more and more among us, year after year e-sports is gaining ground, so it is already common to talk about it in newspapers and television, international tournaments have thousands of followers, presenting themselves as a fantastic advertising showcase.
As part of this popular phenomenon, we will focus on two issues: what skills and behavior should a good player have?
- We will review the main characteristics of this phenomenon through psychology.
- The evolution of technology is so great that today’s video games can be a problem.
- But they can also be a very valuable tool in an intervention.
E-sports are not a phenomenon that escapes globalization, video games have an increasing audience of consumers.
Many parents have never stopped playing, many children are starting to play now and the middle generations are increasing this generational leap. Today, it’s hard to imagine that it all started in the 1970s with some people who came together to play Pac-Man or Spacewar.
The ability to connect to the Internet and play online with other users revolutionized the market in the 1990s. Big producers, such as Nintendo and Sony, have found the the most in a constant struggle to dominate sales.
At that time it was also necessary to understand user requests, that’s when the foundations of psychology were laid in eSports.
The pinnacle is such that many players live off it. Today, competitions have gained international relevance. The big tournaments, which began in Japan and South Korea, have spread around the world.
The market and sponsors allow many people to focus on this activity as a profession. You can find different categories of competition:
The monitoring of gameplays (videos of people playing) is very popular on platforms such as YouTube, distinguishing itself among the new generations. Why is it so great to see someone play without participating? Psychology offers the following reasons:
Video games are currently used for a variety of reasons, from pilot training to interventions for ADHD and education, being a learning tool.
Several studies claim that video games improve cognitive abilities, however, their increasing complexity also requires these skills.
The psychological perspective of eSports indicates that there are many being a good player. Cognitive skills are considered high-demand executive brain functions. Let’s see some of the most used in eSports.
The high demands of users and the evolution of technological resources are producing constant changes in eSports, changes that are no exception to psychological analysis and that are currently taking a certain direction, this is how players and spectators appreciate certain characteristics.
Sports organizations are grappling with problems often seen in other sports that are currently threatening to pollute sport, such as the proliferation of drugs and drugs to maintain attention or improve player performance, other problems are gender stereotypes surrounding the industry and possible addictions that children can develop.
In conclusion, psychology is a discipline increasingly linked to eSports, it also reveals the characteristics that explain the popularity of the phenomenon, some researchers debate about the sportsmanship of eSports, however, the series of cognitive requirements that are required to be a professional in this field is undeniable. In addition, the psychological study of this field can detect complications and possible therapeutic applications.