Sport in Society

Esports originated from video games. By absorbing the communication and operation methods of modern sports events, it has gradually evolved into a format known as "sportification" which is increasingly attracting the attention and love of the younger generation. Due to the strong connections between the development of e-sports and the technology and media industries, such as semiconductors, chips, communications, and media, the industry offers many economic advantages and business opportunities, particularly in East Asia and North America. With the Summer and Winter Olympics rapidly losing popularity among young people, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has added sports popular with young people to the Olympic Games (such as break dancing, surfing, rock climbing, skateboarding, etc.). A special focus is also placed on e-sports. It was announced that the IOC would prepare to host the e-sports Olympics following the acceptance of e-sports, the organizing of IOC E-sport Week events, and the establishment of the IOC E-sports Committee, as well as the listing of e-sports as an official event at the Hangzhou and Nagoya Asian Games of 2023 and 2026. Accordingly, we can expect traditional Olympic sports to gradually incorporate elements of video games, and a gradual shift towards "gamification" is underway. In this global explosion of e-sports, the Asia-Pacific region appears to play an essential role.

Firstly, China is now the world's largest e-sports market, and it hosted a successful e-sports event at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. Korea is well known for its role in promoting the global e-sports culture, particularly in the development of the International Esports Federation (IEF). The Japanese video game industry has been developing e-sports for a number of years, with companies such as Nintendo and Sony playing a key role. Singapore has not only hosted the inaugural Olympic Esports Week but has also led the establishment of the Global Esports Federation (GEF) to actively promote the development of the global esports industry. Apart from the roles mentioned above, sovereign funds, particularly those of the oil-producing countries in the Middle East, also play a vital role in the global growth of e-sports. It is clear from the above that esports are on the rise, and Asia Pacific is at the forefront of this trend. Esports continue to gain a place in the mainstream sports scene with computer-mediated sports constantly becoming more prevalent. Therefore, to question whether esports are sports seems archaic. It is only a matter of time before the established sporting world fully embraces the proliferation of cybersports.

At this juncture, Professor Tien-Chin Tan and Dr Jung Woo Lee invite papers with a focus on esport and society in the Asia Pacific region. The Asia Pacific Sport and Social Science special issue of Sport in Society (APSS of SiS) intends to publish original research articles which examine a range of social, cultural, economic, historical, managerial, and ethical issues related to the recent proliferation of esport in Asia Pacific. A conceptual paper with a clear and comprehensive theoretical orientation is also welcome.

APSS of SiS is an annual special issue, the aim of which is to promote sport studies in the Asia Pacific region and to facilitate scholarly communications between researchers whose academic interests lie in sport in East and Southeast Asia. The theme of the 2025 special issue is “esport panorama in Asia Pacific”.

The topics in this special issue include but not limited to the following:

- esport and digital technology

- the (re)mediatisation of esport

- the political economy of esport

- esport fan culture

- esport stars and celebrities

- esport and integrity

- esport and ideology

- esport and education

- esport and addiction

- esport and match-fixing

- esport and doping

- gender issues in esport culture

- esport in a major sporting event

- the governance of esport

- globalisation of esport

Please send any questions to Jung Woo Lee at [email protected] or Tien-Chin TAN at [email protected].

 

Manuscripts for the special section should be submitted before the 30^th of June 2024 at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/fcss to facilitate full consideration. In the submission process, authors should highlight in their cover letter that the submission is for the “Asia Pacific Sport and Social Science” special issue of Sport in Society and choose “Special Issue Paper” as the “Manuscript Type.” All manuscripts will be subject to peer review under the supervision of the Special Issue Editors.

Instructions for AuthorsSubmit an Article