Esports' toxic behaviours and their impact on the players' need satisfaction, toxic consumption practices and well-being.

Description

The esports industry, characterized by its competitive intensity and vibrant online communities, has seen a rise in toxic behaviours that significantly impact players' experiences. This PhD project aims to investigate the intricate relationships between toxic behaviours, players' need satisfaction, well-being, and toxic consumption practices (smurfing, excessive spending, and indoctrinating) within esports. Utilizing the online disinhibition effect theory, we will explore how the digital environment influences players' need satisfaction and subsequently links to their toxic consumption behaviours and well-being. Guided by Bourdieu's theory of practice and Suler's online disinhibition effect theory, we seek to explain the social and cultural roots of toxic behaviours in gaming. Simultaneously, we will apply the need satisfaction theory to understand how unmet needs drive players towards toxic consumption, and paradox theory to elucidate the contradictory outcomes of these behaviors on their well-being. Our research will proceed in four phases. The first phase involves an integrative review of the existing literature on toxic behaviours and their impact on players. In the second phase, we will collect and analyze players' life stories to gain deep insights into how toxic behaviours have manifested and evolved in their gaming experiences. The final phase will involve developing and validating a comprehensive scale for measuring toxic consumption behaviours and employing structural equation modelling to analyze the relationships among toxic behaviours, need satisfaction, well-being, and toxic consumption. Finally, we will look to disseminate our findings through civil society and bear an impact on the esports field in Portugal. Through this multi-faceted approach, our study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the psychosocial dynamics in esports, providing valuable insights for improving player experiences, fostering healthier gaming communities and enhancing game publishers' product strategy with a focus on their marketing endeavours.

Authors

Keywords

Professor Advisor

Tiago Ribeiro

University

University of Lisbon, Faculty of Human Kinetics