Electronic Sports Tourism: A Study on Electronic Sports Audiences

Abstract

Electronic sports is a multidimensional concept that includes online games and matches, as well as physically organized activities. Events closely followed by e-sports viewers have the potential to make significant socio-economic contributions to host cities. The audience participating in the events, like all other tourists, benefit from accommodation, food and beverage, transportation and entertainment opportunities. This makes it necessary to evaluate electronic sports events in terms of the tourism sector. The study focuses on determining the views of e-sports viewers about participating in e-sports events as a tourism activity. The data of the study was obtained by survey technique from 397 viewers who followed Twitch live broadcasts. According to the results obtained from the study, it was determined that 68.3% of the participants plan to participate in electronic sports events and 84.9% of them intend to visit interesting places in the region where the events are held. In addition, 85.6% of the participants stated that they consider social interaction with other viewers and participants important in the electronic sports event.