Log 2

The data I collected for this week highlights the difference between conventional sports and eSports. Interestingly enough, many of the definitions used by the author convey these industries have a lot in common. However, the important thing is that conventional sports are widely accepted by society and play an integral role in contemporary media and our economy while eSports has a hard time expanding beyond their niche culture. The data I collected this week made me question the idea of what constitutes legitimacy in mainstream culture. Has eSports found that sense of identity yet? It has come to my attention that while this business is certainly on the rise and players are making a stable income for the most part, it is interesting to see if society has come to accept a hobby such as playing video games as a full-time job. ESPN2 just recently televised one of the bigger eSports tournaments called The International and it was clear, through a numerous amount of tweets, that much of the conventional sports audience definitively does not accept the eSports culture and fanbase. Quite frankly, many viewers were appalled at the fact that ESPN televised a video game competition. The data I collected this week made me think of the idea of ethnocentrism where a person with a definitive belief comes into contact with an idea that doesn’t align with theirs, it is possible the immediate response is rejection. I think ethnocentrism directly applies to why eSports gamers have a hard time finding legitimacy in contemporary society. Hence, this is why we see the millennial generation dominate the eSports industry as older generations grew up in a time where video games barely existed, much less people playing as a full-time job. The next question becomes how does eSports break out of their niche communities and into mainstream focus. Also, is there a sense of validation by the national coverage that some of these tournaments are now starting to see?