The Blurred Line Between Work and Play : An exploratory study of how professional esports players perceive their employment

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The Blurred Line Between Work

and Play.

An exploratory study of how professional esports players perceive

their employment

BACHELOR THESIS WITHIN Business Administration NUMBER OF CREDITS: 15

PROGRAMME OF STUDY: International Management AUTHORS: Jelena Jastremska, Dan-Leonard Hodeanu TUTOR:Brian McCauley

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Acknowledgements

This thesis would not have been made without the guidance, encouragement, and support of various people. Therefore, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who has spent his or her time and effort to give advice and feedback during this short but important time of our studies.

First and foremost, we would like to thank our thesis colleagues for taking their time and thoroughly discussing their comments and questions. It has helped us a lot and we appreciate the feedback.

Furthermore, we would want to thank our tutor Brian McCauley for his time and guidance. We are very grateful for his sincere comments and advice.

In addition, we would want to express our gratitude to our friends, who have taken their time and made corrections and comments, which proved their usefulness.

We would also like to thank our parents who hardly speak any English, but were very supportive and understanding, and have brought a lot of surprising insight and ideas. We love you.

Lastly, we would like to express our thankfulness and appreciation to all of the players and commentators who have agreed to take part in this research. Being as busy as they are, they have managed to allocate their time and offered an extensive amount of insight. We would never expect to interview such amazing people, and we would never expect this honesty and openness. We are really grateful for their participation.

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Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration

Title: The Blurred Line Between Work and Play - an exploratory study of how professional

esports players perceive their employment

Authors: Jelena Jastremska, Dan-Leonard Hodeanu Tutor: Brian McCauley

Date: May 2020

Keywords: esports, professional esports players, employment, serious leisure, serious leisure

characteristics.

Abstract

The esports industry is a topic that has only recently become of interest to the researchers. In general, there is limited literature about the esports industry and its employment, and when it comes to professional players, it is even more scarce. However, esports is a growing phenomenon, and the professional players involved in that phenomenon require attention. This qualitative study analysed and explained the perceptions of professional esports players about their employment, which was done with the help of the serious leisure concept as well as its characteristics. The interpretive phenomenological approach was used, together with 10 semi-structured interviews. In total, 6 individuals including 4 professional esports players and 2 commentators were interviewed. It was found that the line that separates serious leisure from a career for professional esports players is blurred, with many characteristics of serious leisure remaining a part of the players’ employment. These findings add to the literature by opening a window to the understanding of the complexity of careers that develop from hobby and serious leisure pursuits. Furthermore, the findings contribute to the understanding of the employment of professional esports players and the industry as a whole, which can be used to further research the financial stability of esports careers.

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3.1. Research Methodology ... 15 3.1.1. Research Philosophy... 15 3.1.2. Research Approach ... 16 3.2. Research Method ... 16 3.2.1. Research Design ... 16 3.2.2. Research Strategy ... 16 3.2.3. Interviews ... 17 3.2.4. Sampling ... 18 3.2.5. Data Collection ... 19 3.3. Data Analysis ... 20 3.4. Research Ethics ... 22 3.5. Quality Criteria ... 22 3.5.1. Validity ... 22 3.5.2. Reliability ... 23 4. Empirical Findings... 24

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4.1. The story... 24

4.1.1. Serious Leisure ... 25

4.1.2. Common experiences ... 25

4.2. Professional esports player ... 26

4.2.1. Serious Leisure vs. Full-time employment ... 27

4.3. Serious Leisure Characteristics ... 28

4.3.4. Unique ethos ... 33

4.3.5. Strong identification ... 34

5. Analysis ... 36

5.1. Serious Leisure Characteristics ... 36

5.1.4. Unique ethos ... 40 5.1.5. Strong identification ... 41 6. Conclusion ... 43 7. Discussion... 45 7.1. Limitations ... 45 7.2. Future Research ... 45 8. References ... 47 9. Appendices ... 55

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Tables

Table 1. Participants and further information about them ... 20

Figures

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1. Introduction

This chapter presents both the theoretical and empirical background for this study. It is followed by the statement of the purpose, which is later explained by the research question. The chapter concludes with definitions.

1.1. Historical Background

Competitive gaming, or simply put esports, is an act of video gaming, which is regulated by different companies and tournament organizers, and where participants (players) compete individually or in teams (Scholz, 2019). The majority of the esports participants are not professional and often play to enjoy the game. (Hamari & Sjöblom, 2017) Esports can also be referred to as “electronic sports” and has been around since 1958 when William Higinbotham developed the game titled “Tennis for Two” (Seo & Jung, 2016). “Tennis for Two” became very popular and it had a competitive atmosphere making it the first video game that was including both the players and spectators and had been created for the sole purpose of entertainment. With companies slowly entering the video game market in the mid-70s, people started understanding the potential of the industry. (Scholz, 2019)

By 2020, the esports industry has become a global phenomenon that managed to surpass the Western music and movie industries from a revenue standpoint and is now worth over $1.1 billion with more than 495 million yearly viewers (Newzoo, 2020; Russ, 2019). In fact, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the viewership, as well as participation in esports has drastically increased, making it one of the most popular entertainment platforms (Dixon, 2020). Due to the size and the revenue, the esports industry is now able to offer various employment opportunities such as commentator/caster, coach/analyst, admin/referee and other roles that are part of normal business entities, together with arguably the most important role – professional player (British Esports Association, 2019a). The majority of people watching esports and playing video games casually, aspire to achieve the skill and success of professional players and earn their place in the spotlight. However, the reality is that less than 1 per cent of them make it to the top and get an opportunity to make playing games a career. (Elliott, 2018; Hiltscher & Scholz, 2019)

1.2. Problem

Esports is a nascent industry, which means the research relating to the employment in that industry is limited, with findings commonly concluding how unclear professionalized careers of the esports players are (Bayliss, 2016; Woodcock & Johnson, 2018).

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In her book “Raising the Stakes: E-Sports and the Professionalization of Computer Gaming”, Taylor, T. L. (2012) researched the levels of involvement a player can experience in the esports scene, by drawing on the Stebbins (1982, 2001, 2004) serious leisure definition, which is expressed as “the systematic pursuit of an amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer activity that

participants find so substantial and interesting that, in the typical case, they launch themselves on a career centred on acquiring and expressing its special skills, knowledge and experience” (Stebbins, 1992, p. 3). The author categorized the types of esports players into

three levels: casual, competitive, and professional, and aimed to find out whether competitive players’ careers consist of simply serious leisure or can be a form of professionalized play. Taylor (2012) concluded that competitive players engage in competitions and tournaments, gain profits, and travel internationally, while still maintaining a day job or a student life. The author defined it as serious leisure since competitive players could make a career out of esports, but only part-time. Taylor (2012) stated, that in order for competitive players to achieve a form of professionalized play and gain employment in the esports industry, they would need to secure contracts and sponsors, thus having a career that can sustain their living. However, the author also expressed that it is important to not only understand the trajectory or levels of involvement a player can have but also understand how he perceives his activity and ties it to his identity.

The findings established by Taylor (2012) have opened the discussion on professionalized consumption and serious leisure within the esports industry, which in return started the conversation about its seriousness and potential in terms of business and employment opportunities. Having said that, as stated by Scholz (2019), the industry became of interest to organizations and investors only after 2014, when the economic boost made the concept of esports more financially profitable. This could mean that the employment possibilities for professional esports players have changed, which requires a more recent study.

Yuri Seo (2016) used the serious leisure framework and analysed how competitive players go through self-development and self-improvement, as well as “why and how serious leisure

participants transform themselves into professionalized actors” (Seo, 2016, p. 264). The

sample used by Seo (2016) consisted of participants that have been playing computer games competitively for more than 3 years and were either full-time students or worked at a job that had no relation to gaming, such as business consultant and accountant. Seo (2016) found that the esports industry is a combination of serious leisure and professionalized work. However, he failed to distinguish between competitive and professional players and separated

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professionalized activities from pure work. This is important to mention because Seo (2016) did not consider professionalized activities to be a form of full-time employment, which meant professional esports players cannot have a career and can only experience a form of serious leisure.

Both Seo (2016) and Taylor (2012) created and separated the levels of development a player can have in the esports industry. However, Taylor (2012) assigned the concept of serious leisure to competitive players only and has researched the industry before the economic boom, while Seo (2016) did not distinguish between professional and competitive players. Consequently, both Seo (2016) and Taylor (2012) admitted that it is the perceptions that matter and that a player could be signed for an organization and employed but might still perceive part of his activities to remain as serious leisure.

It is apparent that there are different levels of player involvement, starting from casual play, serious leisure and, finally, getting contracted and employed by an organization (Freeman & Wohn, 2017a; Seo, 2016; Taylor, 2012). This could mean that every professional esports player has encountered all of these steps at one point in his career and could potentially still experience some characteristics of serious leisure, even after getting employed. Therefore, perceptions of professional players should be examined. In particular, how a professional player that once played electronic games as serious leisure, perceives its characteristics in his now full-time employment, and whether he considers that some of these characteristics could still be a part of his career. Also, the reasoning behind expressed opinions should be discussed and analysed. Conclusively, this research can add to the existing literature that examines players and their experiences, by studying the perceptions of the highest tier players, which are professional. These perceptions can open a window to the new discussion about professional players and their employment and expand the understanding of the esports industry as a whole.

1.3. Purpose

The purpose of this research will remain within the exploratory boundaries, which is to showcase and analyse the perceptions professional esports players have on their employment, and whether they consider to still experience certain characteristics of serious leisure. Collected findings will add to the existing literature which can currently be considered limited. The opinions and views of professional players will help add to the discussion about employment in the esports industry.

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The main research question of this study is:

“How do professional esports players perceive their employment in terms of serious leisure characteristics?”

1.4. Terminology

For this research to be presented in full capacity, several terms and concepts must be defined.

Esports: Competitive video gaming where players compete for teams that are financed by

external organizations (Hamari & Sjöblom, 2017). Esports combines recreation, task, interaction, collaboration, and competition (Freeman & Wohn, 2017b).

Professional esports players: Individuals who play video games competitively while earning

a living from it and being full-time employed by an esports organization (Scholz, 2019).

Competitive esports players: Individuals who play video games competitively while still

maintaining a part-time job or studies, and not being contracted by any of the esports organizations (Adl Zarrabi & Nel Jerkrot, 2016).

Game Streaming: The activity of an individual or a group of individuals that record

themselves online while combining playing video games and entertainment whilst earning paid subscriptions and donations from the viewers (Andronico, 2019).

Twitch: The biggest game streaming platform which was purchased by Amazon in 2014

("Twitch.tv | About", 2020).

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO): A first-person perspective shooting game developed by Valve Corporation and Hidden Path Entertainment in 2012. It includes 5 vs 5 participants that play online ("Counter-Strike: Global Offensive - Liquipedia Counter-Strike Wiki", 2019).

MOBA: A 5 vs 5 multiplayer online battle arena, or simply put MOBA, is a subgenre of

strategy video games. Each player controls one hero or character throughout the whole duration of the game on a predetermined map. (Ye, 2018)

Dota 2: Defence of the Ancients 2 is a MOBA created by Valve Corporation in 2013 as a

sequel to the early Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft III mod Defence of the Ancients. (Phillips, 2018)

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League of Legends: A MOBA developed by Riot Games in 2009 which has been highly

influenced by Warcraft III’s mod Defence of the Ancients. ("Welcome to League of Legends", 2020)

Overwatch: A first-person perspective multiplayer team-based shooter published by Blizzard

Entertainment in 2015. ("Overwatch, a Team-Based Shooter", 2020)

Battle Royale: A multiplayer genre of video games in which players have to explore and be

the-last-man-standing to win. It involves up to hundreds of players who have to acquire equipment and eliminate their enemies to win. (Hornshaw, 2019)

Apex Legends: A battle royale that is free to play, developed by Respawn Entertainment and

published on Electronic Art’s platform Origin in 2019. ("Apex Legends - The Next Evolution of Battle Royale - Free on PS4, Xbox One, and PC", 2020)

PUBG: A battle royale developed by PUBG Corporations, a subsidiary of one of the biggest

South Korean game developers Bluehole, in 2017 ("PUBG Survivor's Guide", 2020).

Minecraft: A single-player open-world non-competitive video game, through which a player

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2. Frame of Reference

This chapter presents the reader with a literature review that examines several aspects relevant to this study. First, the reader is introduced to the existing research relating to the esports industry, as well as the definition of a professional esports player. Further, the concept of serious leisure is discussed. Each characteristic of serious leisure is analysed and applied to professional esports players. Collectively, these concepts will help clarify the goal of the research and provide a base for analysis.

The emphasis of this research is separated into two different topics that can be linked to each other. One of these topics revolves around professional esports players, whilst another focuses on serious leisure and its characteristics. The research question rose both from the lack of literature involving professional esports players and their employment, as well as the authors’ interest.

In order to establish the academic literature for this paper, the authors have used the ABS list, Google Scholar, JU library, SAGE, and DIVA. Also, because of the fact that the literature in this field is relatively limited, other non-academic sources have been used.

2.1. The esports industry

The majority of previous research in the field of esports has focused on media studies, with authors commonly analysing the importance of live streaming platforms, and how through these platforms an individual can create and maintain a community (Burroughs & Rama, 2015; Hamilton, Garretson, & Kerne, 2014; Kaytoue, Silva, Cerf, Meira, & Raissi, 2012). Burroughs and Rama (2015) argued that live streaming platforms create a thin line between the real and virtual world and that researchers should treat this topic as an important aspect of media creation, as this will be an emerging sector of esports in the near future. Similarly, Hamilton, Garretson, and Kerne (2014) found that streaming platforms enable video game enthusiasts to connect with their communities from all over the world. The authors also emphasized the process through which these communities are born, often including negative and positive aspects simultaneously (Hamilton, Garretson, & Kerne, 2014).

Looking at the media influence from the perspective of the local market, McCauley, Tierney and Tokbaeva (2020) examined the cultural relevance and value of one of the biggest Swedish-born esports events, DreamHack, and its influence on the closed community. It was established that DreamHack serves as an incubator for the creation of the ecosystem and the spread of awareness of the esports industry, therefore influencing the global media presence of the event (McCauley, Tierney & Tokbaeva, 2020).

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Another large part of the academic literature on esports has been invested into the research of the differences and similarities between esports and its more physically engaging counterpart - real sports (Candela & Jakee, 2018; Cunningham et al., 2018; Dave, 2013; Hamari & Sjöblom, 2017). Candela and Jakee (2018) examined whether esports could potentially surpass the traditional American sports in terms of investment, viewership, and sponsorship, with the conclusion being an “unqualified “yes.”” (Candela & Jankee, 2018, p. 68). Similarly, Cunningham et al. (2018) researched the applicability of sport management on esports and found that even if esports does not imply physical activity, it is slowly entering the sporting landscape and there are a lot of similarities in their management structures. Furthermore, a study made by Jenny, Manning, Keiper and Olrich (2016), aimed to prove that esports players are very closely related to athletes, with the conclusion that esports players should be treated like virtual athletes. However, authors also acknowledged the presence of certain audiences that were not fully convinced in the reliability of their findings (Jenny, Manning, Keiper & Olrich, 2016).

Martončik (2015), as well as Hamari and Keronen (2017), examined the reasoning behind people playing video games and established that fun and excitement together with socialization, are what players were often attracted to. Furthermore, both of the studies found that video games helped players establish long-lasting friendships while pursuing free time leisure activities (Hamari & Keronen, 2017; Martončik, 2015). A similar topic from a psychological perspective was researched by Granic, Lobel and Engels (2014), where authors found that video games have multiple benefits, including cognitive enhancement, motivational boost, emotional benefits, and arguably the most important one - the social benefit.

Business and the structure of the esports industry were also two of the more common topics for analysis and discussion. Radman Peša, Čičin-Šain and Blažević’s (2017) examined the existing esports business models and looked for new ways through which future entrepreneurs can join the esports scene. Authors established that there are a lot of opportunities through which one can profit in the esports industry, including managing esports teams and engaging in sponsorships with esports brands. Similarly, Seo (2013) and Scholz (2019) analysed the structure of the esports events and the industry from the perspective of a business entity. Seo (2013) established that marketing researchers should allocate more time and interest towards the esports industry since there are new ways of consumption that are yet to be explored. Furthermore, Scholz (2019) concluded that the esports industry is a complex environment that

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is highly innovative and continuously growing, to which one should constantly adapt in order to stay relevant.

Arguably, the least researched topic is the one that focuses on “the most important stakeholder

in the esports industry” (Scholz, 2019, p.67), the professional player.

Bayliss (2016), as well as Woodcock and Johnson (2018), analysed the topic of employment in the esports industry. Authors established that the term “professional esports player” has shifted quite drastically in recent years, and it became more linked to traditional work (Bayliss, 2016; Woodcock & Johnson, 2018). However, the results authors came to could arguably be considered inconclusive since the chosen sample was very specific and required further investigation.

Taylor (2012) researched the esports players, starting from casual and finishing with professional. The author found that every esports professional player started as an individual that was simply interested in playing games and could only dream about the big stage and contracts from organizations and sponsors. Taylor (2012) also established that every professional player was once a competitive player, who had to figure out how to afford costs of travelling and competing without any help from sponsors, which led to part-time jobs and/or studies.

Conclusively, professional esports players and their employment in the industry has not been commonly researched by academia, with limited existing literature. This could perhaps be explained by the lack of access to professional players, as well as little time they can allocate due to competitions and events (Jacobs, 2015).

2.1.1. Professional Esports Players

A professional esports player is an individual who plays video games competitively while earning a living from it (Scholz, 2019). He or she is contracted by an organization which is sponsored by various companies. The biggest sponsors in the esports industry include “Red Bull”, “Monster Energy”, “BMW”, “Mercedes-Benz”, “Audi”, “Logitech”, “Razer Inc.”, “Gillette”, and many more (Gannon-Pitts, n.d.; Meola, 2018). The tasks of professional players include the promotion of sponsored products, international travel, interviews, and most importantly, gaming. Conclusively, professional players are individuals that have made their passion for video games a career. (Bayliss, 2016; Scholz, 2019).

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All of the esports players, whether competitive or professional, have one thing in common – love for the game. Regardless of the state and levels one can reach in the industry, drive for competition and love for gaming is what inspires growth. (D'Orazio, 2019). Individuals that stand out, show impressive skills and promising results, become professional and achieve their dream of making gaming a career, while individuals that have yet to show impressive results and get noticed remain competitive (Elchison, 2019).

It was suggested to analyze the relationship between esports and serious leisure (McCauley, Nguyen, McDonald & Wearing, 2020). Indeed, this relationship has been examined (Seo, 2016; Taylor, 2012), however, primarily within the setting of competitive players. To this date, there is little to no existing research that focuses on professional esports players and their employment, and how that employment relates to the concept of serious leisure and its characteristics.

2.2. Serious Leisure

The idea of leisure activities becoming “serious” was first introduced and discussed by Stebbins (1982), who acknowledged that more than ever people would choose careers and employment opportunities that could bring the most money with the least amount of invested time. This was done to ensure that the chosen employment can sustain individuals’ leisure activities and interests that consume more and more of their free time. The author argued that those pursuing free leisure activities should be cautious about the choice of their interests and select the ones who bring the greatest payoff, such as personal fulfilment, enhancement of identity, self-expression and other (Stebbins, 1982). This was coined by the author as non-other than serious leisure activities, which can help reach the described goals. Stebbins defined the concept of serious leisure as a “systematic pursuit of an amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer core activity that

is highly substantial, interesting, and fulfilling and where, in the typical case, participants find a career in acquiring and expressing a combination of its special skills, knowledge, and experience” (Stebbins, 1992, p.3). Simplified, the author refers to leisure as a process of

engaging in free-time activity willingly, with the help of abilities and resources, and where the activity is either satisfying, fulfilling, or both. The adjective “serious” simply weights the importance, sincerity, and carefulness of the volunteer, amateur, or hobbyist chosen activity type, where, pursuing any of the three should eventually lead to deep self-fulfilment. (Stebbins, 1992).

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Various authors have applied the Stebbins’ (1992) concept of serious leisure to different sorts of activities, including dog sports (Gillespie, Leffler & Lerner, 2002), post-compulsory education (Jones & Symon, 2001), package adventure tours (Kane & Zink, 2004), and others (Gibson, Willming & Holdnak, 2002;Tomlinson, 1993).

Furthermore, Stebbins (2001) discussed the types of activities that are found in serious leisure. He clarified that individuals who choose to pursue serious leisure activities, be it volunteers, amateurs, or hobbyists, are said to experience the sense of a career without actually engaging in full-time, high-level occupations (Stebbins, 2001).

Serious leisure volunteers are individuals passionate about helping others for personal and/or altruistic reasons, who contribute to societal development through the use of their knowledge and skills. Their functions take a higher stance in comparison to individuals that volunteer casually, as serious leisure volunteers devote the majority if not all of their free time to the act. (Stebbins, 2001)

Serious leisure amateurs are found to be operating in professionalized fields such as art, sports, entertainment, and science. While they are not employed, amateurs could potentially turn their serious leisure pursuit into full-time employment if they choose to devote all of their time to their interest and proceed to remain in the selected industry. (Stebbins, 2001)

Serious leisure hobbyists, a category arguably misidentified by Stebbins (2001), represents individuals that operate in fields with no professional counterparts, such as collectors, activity participants (barbershop singers and hunters), as well as competitors in non-professionalized games (chess, poker, etc) and sports (curling, darts, etc). Here, one can argue that poker and chess could be considered a professionalised game, and so could be playing computer games competitively (de Bruin, Kok, Leppink & Camp, 2014; Hayano, 1977; Knapp, 2017).

In the case of this paper, it is presumed that competitive esports players are hobbyists, who, while still maintaining a day job or a student life, aspire to make gaming their career, but for any reason (such as lack of skills or achievements), remain within the serious leisure category. Additionally, professional esports players are assumed to have passed the serious leisure phase and achieved their goal of making gaming full-time employment.

Nonetheless, the exact moment when serious leisure turns to a career or employment is blurred. Stebbins (1982) stated that “a small segment of the population will always find their work and

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for a player starts when he signs a contract and acquires sponsors, it is complicated to estimate when the serious leisure ends. Taylor (2012) also expressed that there is a thin line between work and play when it comes to esports and that it is “about a complex set of experiences, not

easily boxed into pure fun or pure misery” (Taylor, 2012, p. 100). The author admitted, that

while professional players unquestionably operate above serious leisure, they might still consider to experience certain activities which can be identified as hobbies. (Taylor, 2012). In general, literature that relates to employment and serious leisure is limited (Bartram, 2001; Stebbins, 2009; Stebbins, 2014) and does not analyse the borders where serious leisure no longer exists, and an individual acquires a professional career. Therefore, in order to be able to evaluate if professional esports players might still consider the experiences within their career to somehow represent those of serious leisure, the distinguishing characteristics of serious leisure should be discussed and analysed. Stebbins (1982) explained that there are 6 qualities of serious leisure, which include perseverance, career aspirations, significant personal efforts, durable benefits, unique ethos, and strong identification. These characteristics could offer an explanation on the employment of professional esports players and their perceptions.

These characteristics have been examined by a variety of different studies that have applied them to sports, including master swimmers (Hastings, Kurth, Schloder, & Cyr, 1995), chess activities (Gould et al., 2011), runners (Ronkainen, Harrison, Shuman, & Ryba, 2017), surfers (Beaumont & Brown, 2015), rugby players (Dong, Zhang, Choe, & Pugh, 2013), and many more. However, the focus of this literature was allocated to quantitative studies, with findings often not discussing the reasoning behind the experienced characteristics.

2.2.1. Perseverance

Stebbins (1982) defined perseverance as an occurrence where one can experience uncomfortable or stressful strain, but the feeling and presence of positive outweigh the possible stage fright, anxiety, or embarrassment. The author explained it as a process of “sticking with

it through thick and thin, through conquering adversity”, where rewards outweigh the costs

(Stebbins, 1982, p. 256). Lamont, Kennelly and Moyle (2014) researched costs and perseverance of amateur athletes in New Zealand, and how they react to disappointing circumstances. Authors concluded that perseverance is something that appears continuously within serious leisure and can be infinitely encountered, making individuals act accordingly (Lamont, Kennelly & Moyle, 2014).

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The reason why professional esports players might perceive to still experience perseverance in their professional careers is because gaming competitions and esports in general, are very much unregulated and unpredictable. Events can get cancelled, professional players might hope and expect to win a tournament, but end up coming home empty-handed, with the need to persevere through times of consistent failure. Since it is a competitive environment with unpredictable circumstances, negative experiences are inevitable. However, love for the game and strive for improvement could push professional players to continue, even if it implies “sticking with it through thick and thin”. (Shen & Yarnal, 2010)

2.2.2. Career aspirations

This characteristic is described as a constant pursuit of a career with its stages of involvement and achievements. Individuals engaged in a serious leisure activity are likely to constantly train or develop in order to pursue a professional career. (Stebbins, 1982). Green and Jones (2005) researched the concept of serious leisure through the prism of sport tourism. Authors used the characteristics provided by Stebbins (1982), which included career aspirations, and established that travel enhances the path serious leisure participants take (Green & Jones, 2005).

In the case of professional esports players, career aspirations might be considered an achieved goal, since once a professional player is employed he will not wish for a career unless looking for it in another sector. On the other hand, competitive esports players (as they have been established to pursue a serious leisure activity) do aspire to achieve a career in the esports industry and become professional. (Seo, 2016). Since this paper is focusing on professional players only, this characteristic is not going to be examined.

2.2.3. Significant personal efforts

Stebbins (1982) described significant personal efforts as a way of the constant development of skills, knowledge, and experiences. This differentiates individuals who take their interest seriously from those who do something casually, without much effort (Stebbins, 1982). Green and Jones (2005) stated that significant personal efforts are based upon specially acquired knowledge and skills and could involve preparation and participation in the activity. Authors gave an example of sports fans who are interested in a particular sport or a team and might want to learn more about the history of the activity, as well as its traditions and values. That way, sports fans would allocate significant personal efforts to fully engage with their interest. (Green & Jones, 2005).

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Similar to competitive esports players, professional players have to constantly develop their skills and achieve greater results to remain on top of the competition (British Esports Association, 2019b). In fact, esports players are said to retire as early as mid-twenties, due to the intense competition and limited professional scene (Winkie, 2015). If players stop training and practising, they risk losing their mental quickness, dexterity, and reaction time faster than their opponents, which can lead to a small chance to compete (Gera, 2014). Therefore, this characteristic might still be present in their employment and should be analysed.

2.2.4. Durable individual benefits

Stebbins (1982) derived nine benefits that can come from pursuing serious leisure activities. These include self-actualization, self-expression, recreation, self-enrichment, feelings of accomplishment, social belongingness, lasting results, self-gratification, and enhancement of self-image (Stebbins, 1982). However, literature found that only five of these benefits are commonly applied to serious leisure individuals and their experiences. Shen and Yarnal (2010) established that self-enrichment, self-actualization, self-expression, self-gratification, and social belongingness are the most common benefits of serious leisure activities.

Self-enrichment is defined by Stebbins (1992) as a process of increasing intellectual or spiritual resources, which can be achieved by gaining various experiences. Self-actualization is said to result from potential and talent realization (Csikszentmihalyi & Kleiber, 1991). Self-expression consists of expressions of individuality by applying talents, skills, and knowledge (Brown, 2007). Self-gratification is described as a mix of fun and enjoyment, that lead to personal fulfilment (Shen & Yarnal, 2010). Lastly, social belongingness is derived from socializing and participating in various events that lead to the formation of friendships and companionships (Heuser, 2005; Hunt, 2004).

Professional players could perceive to experience durable individual benefits, since playing video games and generally being a part of the esports community, allows players to express themselves, find new long-lasting friendships, and apply their acquired knowledge and skills to their employment, while still having fun and being excited (Freeman & Wohn, 2017b).

2.2.5. Unique ethos

Stebbins (1982) expressed that unique ethos is a culture of the community, acquired over time, which consists of beliefs, values, norms, moral principles, and performance standards. Similarly, Irwin (1977) and Unruh (1980) explained that in order to experience the culture of unique ethos, activities have to revolve around similar interests. The importance of unique

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ethos lays within the concept of the community since it is the common beliefs, values and norms, and not individual.

Professional esports players might consider unique ethos to remain a part of their employment, because they share similar passion and love for the game with other professional players in the industry, and might also share similar values, norms and principles (D'Orazio, 2019).

2.2.6. Strong identification

Individuals who are proud of their activity of interest and are often excited and happy to express their knowledge about it, are said to experience strong identification (Stebbins, 1982). As an example of the literature that has researched this particular characteristic in a different setting, Baldwin and Norris (1999) are used. Authors researched the American Kennel Club (AKC) and found that its members experienced strong personal identification with their animals and identified themselves as “dog-person(s)” (Baldwin & Norris, 1999, p.1).

Professional esports players could perceive to experience strong identification with their career or the industry in general and might be willing to discuss it with others, particularly because of the origin of their employment. Grifths (2017) explained that playing video games commonly starts as a hobby, and hobby implies interest and passion. Professional players could still be as excited about video games as they were when they first started their career and might want to share their interest with others (D'Orazio, 2019).

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3. Methodology and Method

In this chapter, the process of how this research was organized and conducted is outlined. Firstly, research philosophy and approach are discussed. Later, research design, strategy, data collection, and sampling are explained. The chapter concludes with data analysis and implementation of criteria of quality, which includes validity and reliability.

3.1. Research Methodology

Saunders et al. (2016) defined methodology as a theory on how research should be tackled. The theory consists of the theoretical and philosophical assumptions, with the help of which research can be conducted (Saunders et al., 2016).

3.1.1. Research Philosophy

This study aimed to research and analyse the perceptions of professional players, which can be described by an interpretivism philosophy. In particular, this philosophy fits well with this study because, as defined by Saunders et al. (2016), it focuses on emphasizing the difference between humans from a psychological standpoint, as they create values and meanings. It is also known to be highly appropriate for business and management research. However, because interpretivism philosophy examines individuals’ experiences and opinions, it offers many ways of analysing and interpreting the data, which can portray findings invaluable, or inconclusive. Furthermore, interpretivism philosophy offers a variety of elements that place different emphasis on the research. One of them is a phenomenological study, which examines participants live through experiences, and includes their recollections and interpretations of these experiences. It is also known to have a limited sample size, which is used to create rich data and analyse each individual thoroughly (Smith, 1996).

An alternative to interpretivism is positivism, a philosophy created by Auguste Comte (Comte & Andreski, 1974). Positivism focuses on applying scientific methods to experiences in order to obtain knowledge of the world and is considered to be a part of predominantly quantitative studies (Eriksson & Kovalainen, 2008).

Due to the choice of the qualitative design for this research, interpretivism, in particular - an interpretive phenomenological philosophy, was used to examine the perceptions of professional esports players on their employment, and whether any of the described serious leisure characteristics remained with their established career.

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16 3.1.2. Research Approach

Three main research approaches include inductive, deductive, and abductive. Given (2008) described the inductive approach as a way to develop hypotheses, theory, and generalized propositions from observations of individuals and their experiences. An inductive approach is commonly applied in qualitative studies and is said to generalize findings, with often extreme conclusions that might contradict each other. However, the inductive approach offers an opportunity for theory development based on the cumulative observations and allows for alternative explanations (Given, 2008). On the other hand, a deductive approach develops a theory that is subjected to a series of propositions, with laws dominating the basis of explanation. Often, the deductive approach requires for concepts to be measured, which implies quantitative studies (Saunders et al., 2016). Lastly, the abductive approach is described as a combination of both, the goal of which is to conclude and create a theory based on inferences of two or more events (Given, 2008). An inductive approach was used in this study, mainly because it fit with the small sample size chosen for the analysis and allowed for a theory development, which was based on observations and perceptions of professional esports players.

3.2. Research Method

Research methods are defined as tools that can help the researcher achieve the goal of their study (Eriksson & Kovalainen, 2008).

3.2.1. Research Design

A qualitative design was used in this research because it is commonly adopted in studies where the goal is to analyse the way various actors make use of the meanings of a concrete setting or event (Wahid, Ahmad, Nor, & Rashid, 2017). In the case of this paper, multiple professional players were interviewed, to view how they perceive their employment in the setting of serious leisure characteristics. Furthermore, the qualitative design uses a small sample size, such as individual interviews or focus groups, unlike the quantitative design, which often tends to collect data from large samples such as questionnaires and surveys (Maxwell, 2005). The primary data of this study was collected through interviews, which ensured that each participant gets an opportunity to fully express his or her view and openly answer questions. Conclusively, this research has made use of qualitative design and methods that are linked to that design.

3.2.2. Research Strategy

Research strategy can be anything ranging from experiments, surveys, interpretive phenomenological analysis, grounded theory, to case studies. Certain strategies (such as

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experiments and surveys) are used in quantitative studies, some are used in qualitative (such as interpretative phenomenological analysis and grounded theory), and others can be used in both (such as case studies) (Saunders et al., 2016). This research aimed to tell a story of professional esports players and their experiences; therefore, an interpretive phenomenological analysis was implemented.

Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is an approach commonly used in qualitative research to understand the meaning of “personal lived experience” (Smith, 1996, p.79). Smith and Osborn (2015) defined IPA as a process where “the researcher is trying to make sense of

the participants trying to make sense of their world” (Smith & Osborn, 2015, p.26). The IPA

strategy was, therefore, fitting for this study, as it analysed if professional esports players perceive their employment to still hold certain characteristics of serious leisure.

Another core concept that the IPA studies have is resembled by an in-detail analysis of the participant’s experiences. The most common way of obtaining primary data with IPA is through semi-structured interviews of a very significant and relatively small sample (Smith, 1996). The choice of this strategy helped open a discussion about professional esports players and their employment, and brought more findings of the esports industry in general.

3.2.3. Interviews

Saunders et al. (2016) separated interviews into multiple types. These include structured; semi-structured; and unstructured (or in-depth) interviews. Structured interviews allow for no improvisation and must follow a specific order of the questions and the process. Contrarily, unstructured interviews allow for the change of the interview script and provide plenty of space for improvised questions. However, formal (structured) interviews do not allow researchers much freedom and limit their abilities to add to the interview process, while informal (unstructured) interviews make the process too loose and can potentially change the course of the conversation and the results in the future. (Saunders et al., 2016).

To establish a balance where researchers are not limited by the strict order of the questions but can also manage to keep the interview within the same topic - semi-structured interviews were implemented. Semi-structured interviews allowed for some room to improvise and add to the discussion, without changing the topic completely. Follow-up interviews were also required, which was possible with the help of the interview choice that has brought more data to work with.

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18 3.2.4. Sampling

Sampling can be split into probability and non-probability sampling. Probability (representative) sampling usually refers to a sampling technique where each individual has an equal chance of being selected for the interview. The choice of probability sampling usually comes from a goal to generate a sample that is representative of the population, which relates to a quantitative study. Non-probability sampling, on the other hand, refers to a particular choice of participants that comes from extensive study of the environment (or the industry) that they are a part of. This sample provides a researcher with rich data that can help gain theoretical insights. (Saunders et al., 2016).

Consequently, due to the selection of qualitative design together with an IPA strategy, non-probability sampling was established to be the most fitting since it allowed for subjective judgement and personal conclusions to be included. Saunders et al. (2016) defined many types of non-probability sampling, including quota, purposive, volunteer, and haphazard. This study used a non-probability purposive sampling because it requires researchers to select individuals that will help answer the research question and be particularly informative (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). Furthermore, this sampling is often used when working with a relatively small group, which was the case for this research (Smith & Osborn, 2015). By applying non-probability purposive sampling, authors of this paper ensured that the choice of participants would come from their knowledge and experience in the industry, and they would be able to help authors of this paper obtain rich data.

In order to be selected for this study, certain criteria had to be met.

• Employment. To be able to bring insight to this research, candidates have to be employed in the esports industry, whether it is in a position of a professional player that is signed for an organization, an ex-professional player, or a commentator.

Esports commentators were selected to add an opinion from a different perspective since it has been established that commentators have a great understanding of professional players’ careers (Greszes, 2016).

• Experience. Participants have to have a minimum of five-year experience to be able to answer certain questions that require extensive knowledge of the industry.

• Language & Age. Candidates must be able to speak English, since it is the language used throughout the study, and are required to be at least 18 years of age to be legally employed.

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It is important to clarify that the place of origin/operation was not included in the criteria for a variety of reasons. First of all, it was established early on that the language barrier would not allow for an inclusive sample, which in return clarified that the sample would have to revolve around countries with larger English-speaking population. Secondly, it was concluded that the allocation of professional esports players around the globe is seemingly disproportionate, with many operating in North America, China, South Korea, Canada, and Sweden (Gough, 2020). Since the ability to speak English was included in the criteria, players from China and South Korea could not be selected. In general, the goal of this research did not imply inclusivity and generalizability, instead, it was more important to select a valuable sample with extensive knowledge and experiences.

3.2.5. Data Collection

For this study to create rich meanings and understandings, a method of triangulation was used. This ensured that findings contribute to the enhancement of literature and are included within each other. The empirical findings (or primary data) were generated from the use of semi-structured interviews, as well as follow up interviews with professional esports players and commentators. Secondary data was collected through various sources such as academic literature and articles.

Primary Data

Semi-structured interviews were used as primary data. The interviews aimed to understand and explore the employment of professional players in the esports industry, and how they perceive it to relate to certain characteristics of serious leisure. The primary data consists of views and perspectives of professional esports players, ex-professional players, and commentators. In the process of recruitment, the majority of the candidates were offered to take part through personal networks, as well as the use of social media channels such as Twitter or use of contact information such as email. In order to find the most suitable candidates, various video games and their esports scene were thoroughly analysed. In total, forty-five candidates that match all the criteria have been contacted, seven of which have agreed to participate. However, because of the limitations in time, one of the potential candidates could not be interviewed. Six remaining participants were interviewed with the help of the digital application called “Discord”, due to the geographical distance and other relating circumstances which have not allowed for face-to-face communication. The interview guide and questions used in this study are attached in Appendix 1.

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In total throughout this study, ten interviews were conducted. Out of the six individuals interviewed only four were requested for a follow-up. The follow-ups were necessary to clarify certain expressions, as well as to obtain additional data. Participants selected for this research range from Forbes under 30 personalities, to winners of one of the biggest Dota 2 championships “The International”, where the total prize pool since its establishment adds up to $140 million ("The International", n.d.). Furthermore, all of the selected interviewees have colossal experience in the esports industry, as well as a big influence in the gaming community. A quick overview of the position, social media following, interview length and date, as well as experience in the esports industry can be found in Table 1.

Table 1. Participants and further information about them

Secondary Data

Academic literature that relates to the topic of this research was used as secondary data. The majority of articles and journals were acquired through search engines and databases, which include Google Scholar, JU library, SAGE, DIVA, and others. However, literature that relates to the topic of this research is limited to what has been discussed in the “Frame of Reference” section of this paper. Therefore, many non-academic sources were also used, with the majority being relatively new (due to the newness of the industry).

3.3. Data Analysis

Because of this paper’s choice of collecting primary data through interviews and the selection of the interpretive phenomenological approach (IPA), a corresponding analysis was used. An interpretive phenomenological analysis aims to showcase the respondents’ psychological world through their story, beliefs, and manifests (Smith & Dunworth, 2003).This analysis was fitting for the research since the methods of data coding were based on themes, thus establishing

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a relationship between the collected data. Authors of this study have followed the data analysis stages presented by Smith and Osborn (2007).

Initially, the first set of interviews was individually transcribed, read, and studied by authors to minimalize the human error and become familiar with the raw collected data (Smith & Osborn, 2007). Answers that required further elaboration were discussed and added to the follow-up interview questions. When all of the interviews were conducted, the process was repeated, to make sure nothing was left behind, and both of the authors were satisfied with the collected data. After this was done, the first emerging themes were acknowledged and separated. The next stage related to the correlation of emerging themes within each other, with some combining into a bigger theme, and some remaining a separate entity (Smith & Osborn, 2007). The final established themes were colour-coded and can be observed below (Figure 1). After this was done, the themes were translated into a narrative account, clearly distinguishing between the expressions of the participants and the authors’ own interpretations (Smith & Osborn, 2007).

Figure 1. Final themes colour-coded

Raw

In

ter

vie

w

Data

Future research Financial stability of professional esports players Professional players' personality traits Serious Leisure Characteristics

Reasoning for having characteristics

Hobby

Professional players

Definition

Reasoning for other players

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22 3.4. Research Ethics

For this study to be complete and cause no harm to the participants or anyone in the process, ethical considerations had to be taken seriously (Herrera, 2010). Bell and Bryman (2007) considered ethics in management research to be quite specific and important for producing valuable conclusions.

Therefore, before the start of the interview process, every potential candidate was notified of the terms on which this research is going to be conducted, which included the publication of the paper online, video and speech recording of the interview, as well as usage of expressions and opinions that are communicated throughout the process of recording. No candidates were requested to disclose anything they are not comfortable with, especially when it comes to an organization they work for. It was also very important to clearly explain that anonymity will be kept during the whole process if one wishes to do so. In the data input, this was done by referring to individuals as “Participant X” and only mentioning their position and other nonessential variables. Furthermore, transcribed interviews were sent to those who have requested them, and it was made visible that everything that is going to be used in this paper is going to be approved by the interviewees in advance.

It would be unfair to not mention that many declined the offer to participate in this research, due to the sensitive data and lack of allowance to disclose information that relates to this study. Some might have not understood the request, and some might have been too busy to participate. Regardless of the reasoning, the authors of this paper made sure everyone interested in taking part understands their role and requirement. All of the questions were sent before the interview to those who requested them. Lastly, at the beginning of the recorded interview, everyone was asked to give verbal consent to the above-mentioned terms.

3.5. Quality Criteria

The quality of the research is measured using two dimensions: validity and reliability. There are several ways of enhancing these dimensions, which can be done in any order as the data collection and analysis can be moved in any suitable way. (Bryman & Bell, 2014; Spiggle, 1994)

3.5.1. Validity

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23 Internal Validity

Miles and Huberman (1994) advised for the use of illustrations and diagrams in the data analysis part. This would increase the validity by assisting and clarifying the collected data with a clear structure. Authors of this paper aimed to make their findings as clearly as possible; therefore, all the necessary tables and diagrams were provided.

External Validity

External validity reflects the ability of a study to generalize its results, which can allow them to be used in different situations and cases. However, qualitative studies are not known to be generalizable, as the findings are usually applied to a specific case (Bryman & Bell, 2014). One way to resolve this issue is by defining the scope of the research, and the boundaries it sets (Marshall & Rossman, 1989). Furthermore, researches can clearly define their contributions by comparing the evidence with the existing literature, when analysing the data (Yin, 1994). In this paper, the authors used descriptive details that could help to illustrate perceptions of professional players on their employment.

3.5.2. Reliability

Reliability is closely related to validity, and both cannot exist independent of each other (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). This quality is defined as an extent to which the research can be replicated (Bryman and Bell, 2014). However, the concept of reliability is tighter related to quantitative studies because it is very hard to replicate qualitative research (Golafshani, 2003). Nonetheless, reliability must be done to ensure the quality of the research. Therefore, authors are advised to give a full account of ideas and theories for each of phases of the study, as well as provide notes, recorded tapes and documents during the stage of data collection, to make sure the inspection is conducted (LeCompte & Goetz, 1982). Furthermore, Nair and Riege (1995) advised for data to be recorded mechanically, by using a tape recorder or videotape. This is done to ensure that no information gets lost during the interview, and to allow the researcher to focus primarily on discussion, rather than writing (Nair and Riege, 1995). To ensure the reliability of this research, the authors thoroughly prepared for the interviews by testing the video and audio recordings prior and making sure the data is automatically uploaded. Furthermore, all of the conversations were immediately transcribed with the use of an AI application called “Otter.ai” and were individually analysed by the authors to make everything was correct. Transcribing the interviews immediately after has helped to formulate further questions that brought more information required for this study.

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4. Empirical Findings

This section provides the reader with the empirical findings that were collected throughout ten conducted interviews. These findings are separated into categories, which have been established during the coding, grouping, and categorizing stage.

4.1. The story

From the beginning, it was important to outline the path professional esports players have taken throughout their careers, to be able to analyze if it resembles the steps presented by Taylor (2012), and distinguish whether it does always start as a hobby (Griffiths, 2017).

Indeed, when asked about their story and how they got into professional gaming, all the players communicated that their interest was born as a hobby that quickly became something much more serious.

“I met some people that had similar interests, […] especially one of my close friends […] was interested in games as well, and we started off by playing Warcraft III and competing on

a lower level, but then we got into Dota 2 fairly early. Didn't really play competitive until […] we were eighteen.” - Participant 5

“I wasn't super competitive as a person in the beginning, but it came to me when I started playing more, because I thought it was fun and I realized that I was really good. So, I was

like, “I’ll try to compete a little bit.”” - Participant 6

“[…] I had really enjoyed […] gaming in general, like getting good at games. […] I just did it as a hobby. I was having fun and then some guys that I knew were like, “Hey, let's play this

league!”, and then that's how it started.” – Participant 3

“I'm honestly just a competitive person and I grew up playing [Counter-Strike] 1.6 and ever since then I just haven't stopped.” - Participant 4

Commentators, that have been watching and analyzing many professional players, also believed that most of them start their career because of passion and interest in gaming.

“I don't even think it starts out as a hobby […] I think it has to start out as an obsession. There is no other way.” – Participant 1

“[…] think of yourself as a kid when you played a sport for the first time. You didn't play a sport because you were going to be the next Ronaldo. You played it because you were kicking

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a ball around with your friends, and it was fun. […] And then you started to like it and then you became passionate about it. And then it started to get serious.” - Participant 2

Conclusively, based on both the perceptions of professional players as well as the perceptions of commentators, every professional player has once started playing because he loved the game, not because he saw it as potential employment possibility.

4.1.1. Serious Leisure

Since all the participants acknowledged that for some time games were just a hobby, most of them also admitted that this stage did not last long, and quickly turned into serious leisure. While their interest was growing, many would have to sustain their living by working at different full- and part-time jobs, that could support them financially. This was the point where players, who were yet to become professional, could compete and be a part of the esports scene, without getting contracted and earning a living from it.

“I've actually done a ton of stuff. […] working during the summer and things like that. […] I’ve worked in supermarkets. I've worked with old folks’ home, […] at IKEA. […] But most of

those jobs were, you know, kind of to fill needs, in a sense.” - Participant 5

“You know, I was just working a nine to five job, playing Counter-Strike when I wasn't working.” - Participant 3

One of the players, who was not old enough to work, would allocate many hours to gaming and practising, whilst still being enrolled in high school.

“[…] I was basically putting down a lot of time and going to school at the same time. […] I put down a lot of effort and sacrificed a lot. I mean, it was a big risk. And I guess it worked

out […] but I wasn't really old enough to have a real job at that time since I was going to school.” – Participant 6

4.1.2. Common experiences

Besides their own story, participants were also asked to discuss how they view an average path of other professional players, and whether they consider it to be alike. The majority have expressed that their friends, and many other professional players they know, experienced similar stories and went through similar stages, with gaming always starting from a hobby.

“Most of the people that I know, and I played with […] they were pro players, but it wasn't a career […] everyone just played for fun.” – Participant 3

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“[…] I don't think there's been one person out there, that ever knew for sure they were gonna go pro. It was just something that you always wanted to do, but you always played as a hobby

at first.” - Participant 4

“Yeah. I've never heard about someone doing something different.” - Participant 6

However, some of the players expressed that the experiences can also depend on the genre of the game and that if in general, all the professional players start with a passion for gaming and a hobby, sometimes there can be an exception.

“So, pro players generally start at a young age and then transition to it […] aside from the Battle-Royale scene. The Battle-Royales seem a weird place where people can kind of just hop in and become a pro player […] I've met players that have never been a pro, and they played Minecraft, and then somehow they went pro […] and I'm just like “How is that a

thing? How are you getting a salary?”” - Participant 4

Furthermore, one of the participants admitted that gaming used to be a hobby that would develop into serious leisure and later become full-time employment, but nowadays, the industry is shifting, with more and more people taking gaming seriously from the start.

“[…] I think it's more common nowadays that you start almost being serious from the get-go rather than playing with your friends. I mean, obviously, people start off by playing with their

friends, but I also think that they realized quite early like “Hey, are these guys as committed as I am?”” – Participant 5

Conclusively, it is apparent that most of the participants interviewed viewed experiences of other professional players as similar to theirs, often starting as a hobby, transitioning into some stage of serious leisure and then becoming professional. However, there are exceptions, with some acknowledging that experiences can depend on the genre of the game, and some expressing the rapid expansion of the industry and the change of seriousness related to gaming.

4.2. Professional esports player

When it comes to the actual definition of the term “professional esports player” it was important to establish that participants have the same understanding, and separate the concept from casual, or competitive gaming. It was found that the concept of “professional esports player” is understood similarly by all of the individuals, if not the same. Most of the participants defined it as someone who can earn a living from playing games competitively.

The Blurred Line Between Work and Play : An exploratory study of how professional esports players perceive their employment