Exploring esport players’ motivation, experiences, and well-being

Abstract

This study aimed to explore esports fans’ motivation, experiences and well-being. Guided by the serious leisure perspective and self-determination theory, this study focused on the community of Super Smash Brothers (SSB). This study adopted a qualitative approach and interviewed 13 members with different types of involvement with the community. The results showed that participants’ continuous involvement with the activity is motivated by pursuing personal and social benefits as well as their serious pursuit of esport and their identity as an SSB community member. The esports experiences also improved their well-being through enhancing their social well-being, improving their quality of life and satisfying their needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Lastly, the finding showed that despite the digital nature of esports, the onset of the pandemic has negatively impacted player experiences and re-emphasised the importance of attending in-person events. Based on the findings, this study discussed how to reconceptualise esports as well as highlighted the need for more future research focusing on the positive effects of esports.