Electronic sports: A new marketing landscape of the experience economy

Abstract

Competitive computer gaming (eSports) has emerged as an important aspect of virtual-world consumption. This paper advances the concept of eSports consumption in marketing by developing the experiential perspective of competitive gaming as an assemblage of multiple interrelated experiential performances, which traverse the virtual and real worlds. In order to understand how the experiential value of eSports is emergent, the paper moves towards exploring the roles of various stakeholders within the value network of eSports actors. The findings show that the collaborative efforts of gaming companies, players, online communities, governing bodies, and many other stakeholders play important roles in enriching and sustaining the experiential value of eSports consumption. The paper concludes that companies need to shift their focus away from the aspects of computer games per se, and to move towards the collaborative design and management of eSports experience within the value network of multiple marketing actors, which increasingly charts the landscape of this newly emerged consumption site.