Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 MA of Sports Management, Islamic Azad University of Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Sport Management, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
3 PHD Student
Abstract
The current research aimed to identify the challenges of esports development. The method of the current research is qualitative and exploratory, and in terms of its purpose, it is considered as part of applied research. The participants in this research included experts and experienced people in the field of esports, esports players, managers of esports clubs, and managers and experts of the esports association. The purposeful sampling method was used in the research. To collect information, in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants, and theoretical saturation was achieved with 27 interviews. To analyze the data, the thematic analysis method was used to obtain the information for this research. The results of the research on the challenges of e-sports development show that the challenges of e-sports development consist of six main categories: infrastructural, economic, structural, socio-cultural, educational, and health and wellness. The challenges of eSports development consist of sixteen subcategories, which include limited physical infrastructure, inappropriate online infrastructure, limited access to technology, lack of funding and resources, lack of financial support, inadequate organization, informality, cultural barriers, stereotypes, and labels, issues of race and gender, inappropriate education and awareness, lack of content, lack of talent development, physical pressure, mental health, and social health. Finally, according to the results and challenges of the development of esports, it is necessary to formulate appropriate plans to manage the challenges of this field.
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