eSport: A New University Sport?
e-Sports are on the rise, and poised to feature at the 2024 Paris Olympics. It would therefore be important to examine this new gaming trend in terms of social and professional recognition at university. This paper reviews the fledging literature on e-sports and presents the conclusions of a study on the e-sport practices of 522 e-athletes attending university. The five study objectives were to: 1) identify training methods and conditions for e-athletes, 2) describe their physical exercise habits, 3) describe the e-sport experience from the e-athlete perspective, 4) identify emotional, cognitive, and social impacts of e-sports, and 5) better understand the potential for e-sport recognition as a “real” sport category. Relationships between e-sports and academia are also investigated. The originality of this study lies in its focus on an emerging and forward-looking field.