Purpose: This study aims to explore the potential of a team-based esports game, Valorant, as a platform for developing individuals and teams in organizations. Design/methodology/approach: This work represents an auto-netnographic exploration of a team-based esports title from a consumer perspective through extensive diaries recorded through the initial 10 weeks of play. Findings: Three key themes are identified that illuminate the experience of entering a new team-based game experience. The results illustrate that at the core of Valorant is the team experience, which suggests potential for the game as a platform to develop teams and enhance relevant individual and team-based skills in organizational contexts. Organizational teams should benefit from the use of esports as a team development tool, but any such organizational initiative requires a structured approach. Virtual teams may benefit more than their co-located equivalents from the affordances of online team-based play. Originality/value: This study is one of the few auto-netnographic explorations of a team-based game in esports. Valorant, as an increasingly popular game, remains underexplored in academic literature.

Esports represent an increasingly influential and innovative component of the global media business landscape. The ever-evolving ecosystem of dynamic new media is driven by a heterogeneous array of stakeholders that co-create value in online and offline spaces, often described as servicescapes, where innovations are increasingly influential in diverse areas including entrepreneurial business models, media, sports, entertainment, culture, and consumer engagement. In this research, a semi-systematic literature review was undertaken focused on the intersection of the esports ecosystem, servicescapes and innovations. Four clear directions for future research, with questions specific to esports, servicescapes and media were identified. Scholars can utilise these findings to enhance understanding of innovation from the servicescape perspective, with relevance for scholars engaged in business, marketing, and media.

Introduction

The digitalization of work is a defining characteristic of our era, fundamentally reshaping the landscapeof employment, organizational structures, and the nature of work itself (Kniffin et al., 2021). This transformation, accelerated by recent global events and rapidtechnological advancements, has ushered in new paradigms that challenge our traditional understanding ofthe workplace (Schmid & Dowling, 2020). The digitalization of work, propelled by unprecedented technological advancements and societal shifts, demands acomprehensive reevaluation of traditional workplacestructures and roles, aiming to understand and utilizethe opportunities of this transformative era.

This chapter examines the multifaceted realm of esports marketing and branding, analyzing the dynamic landscape, innovative strategies, and evolving consumer behaviors that influence the industry. The esports audience, branding within esports, team and player branding, publisher and game branding, tournament and event branding, destination branding, and the future of esports marketing and branding are all explored. Concepts are illustrated through industry examples. This chapter serves as a comprehensive resource for academics, practitioners, and enthusiasts seeking a deeper understanding of the complexities, intricacies, opportunities, and challenges of esports marketing and branding. Key highlights include: (1) esports represents a unique mix of sports, culture, and media that provides both opportunities and challenges for marketers within online platforms and offline spaces; (2) esports is digital, innovative, and drives change within the modern digital society as emerging phenomena such as the metaverse and artificial intelligence (AI) are intertwined within the growth of the context; (3) successful brands fully understand and engage with a marketer's central stakeholder, the audience (i.e., consumer), as they co-create value with brands through the consumption and creation of media; and (4) brands within esports are increasingly mainstream with moves into other areas of consumer culture.

From the introduction: The relentless march of digitalization continues to redefine the landscape of work, embedding new paradigms such as digital labor, playbour, the gig economy, and the platform economy among others (Kniffin et al., 2021). These digital concepts are weaving themselves into the fabric of modern employment, spawning new professions and working conditions, thereby recalibrating our perspectives on what work entails in this digital epoch. Subtle yet profound changes such as 'quiet quitting' and 'quiet firing' echo the tectonic shifts unfurling within the working world.

The aim of this chapter is to provide a broad overview of the processes and stakeholders involved when organizing and managing a stand-alone (offline) esports event, tournament, or LAN. Through analyzing existing documents and having discussions with industry practitioners, this chapter presents a practical guide where the requirements and expectations of key stakeholders and the necessary considerations involved are discussed. The chapter covers a diverse range of factors when organizing esports tournaments and offers practical recommendations for those involved in planning and executing esports events. Key highlights include: (1) a practical how-to guide is presented, identifying the various aspects of organizing an esports event along with relevant stakeholder considerations; (2) a summary table is included that identifies opportunities and challenges when organizing esports events along with related stakeholders to engage; and (3) practical aspects of managing in-person esports events are presented. 

Esport-based game titles, such as Counter-Strike:Global Offensive, represent platforms where players simultaneously consume and produce content as prosumers. Through peer-to-peer presumption, these players co-create value between themselves to drive a range of emotional and social outcomes. Smurfing is the act of higher skilled players utilizing alternate game accounts to play with lower skilled players resulting in unbalanced competitive experiences. This study combines an auto-netnographic approach with interviews to provide novel insights on this pervasive phenomenon. Through combining perspectives of regular players and those who engage in smurfing, three key themes are identified. Smurfing is embedded within gaming platforms, driven by complex motivations, and framed as cheating according to perspective.

The rise and connectivity of digital subcultures are increasingly influencing destination tourism. This study provides an understanding of a multi genre festival within the wider context of popular ‘geek’ culture and its increasing role in events and destination tourism. Through profiling the characteristics and experiences of visitors attending Nordsken, an annual festival in Northern Sweden, we profile segments and provide insights on attendees. Based on a survey of festival visitors, this study revealed five distinct clusters (Digital Gamer, Enthusiastic Nerd, Analogue Fan, Spectator & Follower and Creative Player) based on interests and activities. Experiences of the event were relatively similar for all clusters indicating that multi genre festivals can create memorable experiences for a broad audience with a variety of interests rooted in digital cultures. Through understanding and developing target audiences, regions can leverage multi genre festivals as platforms to enhance regional digitalization.  

Purpose: This paper studies early stages of actor mobilization for institutional change within Swedish esports. Design/methodology/approach: The authors employ interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings: The authors’ findings explain how actors become motivated to act in critical reflections linked to conflicting legitimacy judgments and emotionally charged personal struggles. Moreover, the findings show how, as actors get activated in collective action, they identify efficacy lines around valid domains and experience emotionally charged collective endeavors. Furthermore, the findings explain how particularities in early experiences project legitimacy aspirations that orient collective action toward validity ends and particular values and ideals shaping actors' grassroots movements. Originality/value: This study adds to legitimacy and institutional change theory through individual actors' perspectives, providing key insights into how they are motivated, activated, and oriented. This study is the first to investigate grassroots activists' personal stories in esports.