Beyond the screen: exploring player wellbeing in Esports through a gendered lens
Reid, Roberto, Linden, Henrik, Ali, Naz and Buscombe, Richard (2026) Beyond the screen: exploring player wellbeing in Esports through a gendered lens. World Leisure Journal. pp. 1-23. ISSN 1607-8055
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Abstract
Esports has emerged as a global industry with millions of players and spectators fuelling revenues for companies and sponsors. While this growth offers opportunities for personal and professional development, concerns about the wellbeing of those who participate have received scant attention. This study adopts a gendered, constructionist stance in addressing issues concerning wellbeing from the vantage point of competitive Esports players. Twelve (6 male, 5 female and 1 trans-female) competitive gamers participated in this study, with data gathered via semi-structured interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis captured interpretive and social constructionist gendered accounts of the Esports players. The participants experienced negative physical and psychological health outcomes synonymous with adopting a sedentary lifestyle. Conversely, participants reported benefitting from enhanced hand-eye coordination and reaction times. The high-pressure environment of competitive gaming was felt to contribute to stress, burnout and anxiety, while the short career span and public scrutiny intensified these effects. From a gendered perspective, experiences of marginalization, sexism and negative stereotypic beliefs were directly experienced by the female players and reported as vicariously witnessed by the males. This study provides evidence of a need to urgently revisit policy around inclusion and wellbeing to safeguard those who engage in Esports.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Keywords: | Esports, inclusion, wellbeing, gender, constructionist |
| Divisions: | College of Leadership and Innovation > Hospitality and Tourism |
| Depositing User: | Jessie McLean |
| Date Deposited: | 04 Nov 2026 15:05 |
| Last Modified: | 04 Nov 2026 15:09 |
| URI: | https://bnu.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/21849 |
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