Esports, fan identity, and well-being: Where do we go from here?

In recent years, there has been an increased focus on esports as an area of increasing significance and importance in video game research and business. With this growing significance there have also been questions regarding the mental health and well-being of players and the audience. The growth of fandom has not excluded esports, in how fans spend time and money on games to improve their own ability to reach a professional level. In examining mental health and well-being in the esports community, we can work to understand how esports and the theories of fandom are intertwined, and how this connection can positively influence the mental health and well-being of players and audience. The focus of this paper is to review recent relevant literature on the psychology of esports, situate esports as a concept within the study of fandom, and examine research into fandom’s potential role in the mental health and well-being of the players and audience.