Exploring Constructions of Situated Esports Aesthetics Within and Outside Gameplay in a Nordic Context

This paper examines how esports aesthetics, understood as the visual norms within particular platforms and contexts, are constructed in a Nordic setting and how identities are (co)constructed within those aesthetic frames. Its focus is on the participant's perspective rather than game design, a gap the authors identify in existing visuality research on video games. The work combines three datasets: a visual analysis of communication on the websites of 53 Finnish esports organizations collected in 2021, an earlier ethno-case study of a Finnish vocational school esports program involving seven matches of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and interviews with teams, and new visual ethnographic fieldwork at DreamHack Winter 2022 in Jönköping, Sweden, conducted by three researchers over three days.

The preliminary findings across the datasets point to a consistent set of visual norms. Technology such as screens, keyboards, and headsets is prominently featured, and color schemes lean heavily on bright tones and neon lighting. These norms extend to material objects like gaming chairs and energy drinks, and sponsorship and marketing are highly visible, suggesting a strong commercial dimension to situated esports aesthetics. Weapon skins in the earlier in-game data were similarly masculine or gender-neutral, with technological and military influences. Producers of the ESL Impact League reportedly described their visuals as intentionally non-feminine, reflecting esports productions generally.

The authors argue that these aesthetic norms operate at both grassroots and professional levels, and that participants who align with them are likely to feel more at home in such venues. However, combined with high noise levels and crowded spaces, the same norms can produce an overwhelming experience that fosters a sense of othering and potential exclusion. The study is limited by its small, Finland-centered and single-event scope, and it is presented as a preliminary exploration of how aesthetics, participation, and identity intersect in Nordic esports contexts.