The Fandom Frontier: Understanding the Limitless(?) Potential of Collegiate Esports Fans

This study, presented at DiGRA 2023, examines the role fans play in collegiate esports, an area the authors argue has been understudied compared with professional esports and the broader collegiate esports literature focused on player labor, Title IX, and program development. Drawing on thirty-one in-depth interviews with players, program directors, administrators, and media-adjacent students from nine programs, alongside a survey of 520 North American young adults aged 18 to 34 who were interested in or attending college, the research uses a mixed-methods design. Interviews were analyzed in Dedoose using grounded theory, while survey data were examined through multiple regression.

Interviewees widely viewed fans as important to promoting the university brand, legitimizing esports programs with administrations, supporting players, and helping develop the broader esports industry. Participants valued metrics such as livestream viewership, which generated publicity and student enthusiasm, and several argued that collegiate esports fans enjoy a closer relationship with athletes than traditional college sports fans do, partly because students can interact directly with players. A recurring observation was that collegiate esports benefits from fans who already share an organizational affiliation with their institution, a contrast to professional esports, which has struggled to build geographic loyalty. At the same time, interviewees described the existing fanbase as small and underutilized, and expressed concern that the insularity and toxicity of game culture, including trash talk, could deter newcomers who are not already part of gaming communities.

The survey results suggest that collegiate esports programs may shape university brand perceptions and attract both esports and sports fans. The regression model showed a strong fit (R = .882, R-square = .779), and identifying as an esports fan had a substantially larger influence on perceptions of host universities than identifying as a sports fan, accounting for roughly 31.3% of unique variance. The authors present these quantitative findings as an initial alignment with interviewees' views, with further analysis planned. Overall, the study concludes that cultivating fan communities could yield benefits for students, players, and university branding, but that realizing this potential will require stronger strategies for community management and moderation.