ESPORTS Research

Esports refers to organised, competitive video gaming where individuals or teams compete against each other in various multiplayer video games. The Manchester Game Centre is dedicated to advancing esports research and fostering a deeper understanding of the industry. Researchers within this area are leading authorities in esports studies, undertaking rigorous academic research in areas including sociology, law, business, and sports policy. Collaborations with international universities, technology firms, and esports organisations is at the heart of their approach to research development and knowledge exchange. The key interests of esports researchers at Manchester Met include the study of esports consumers and the cultural and economic factors that shape competitive gameplay. Researchers are also interested in the legal and ethical implications of esports in different international contexts, including the geopolitical and economic tensions that have emerged within the industry. Researchers also study esports business strategies in local and international settings, paying particular attention to questions of economic, social, and environmental sustainability. This research area is led by Tom Brock.

Staff and PGR students working in Esports

Cem Abanazir has published on esports’ philosophical, legal, and governance dimensions, as well as its interactions with the Olympic Movement.

Tom Brock has authored publications on esports, player skill, failure, player labour and digital games consumption.

Nicolas Scelles’s research expertise concerns sports economics, including esports. He is also a researcher on the Policy and Business Models Analysis work package for STRATEGIES.

Esports Research Network

Members of the esports research team sit on the Advisory Board of the Esports Research Network and have been involved in organising key events in the esports research calendar including the ‘Understanding the World of Esports Symposium’, which was hosted at Manchester Metropolitan University in August 2023, and the Esports Research Network Conference 2024. MGC members, including Cem Abanazir, will be presenting their research at the conference. 

Mentorship in Esports Scholarship, Tom Brock, Sociology

In June 2024, the MGC funded esports colleagues to travel from Sweden and Finland to Manchester to initiate a research proposal for a prestigious MSCA DTN bid, due in November 2024.  This ambitious project, aptly named ‘GAMES: Global Advancement in Mentorship and Esports Scholarship’, is being crafted to foster interdisciplinary approaches to esports doctoral research, inspired by Brock’s (2023) call to address the field’s ‘wicked problems.’ The research meeting took place over 3 days and involved colleagues meeting to plan the ‘excellence’, ‘impact’ and ‘implementation’ sections of the proposal, including the design and delivery of the project’s PhD training programme. As part of the meeting, colleagues also travelled together to Staffordshire’s esports campus to experience their £2 million investment in esports research and teaching. It is anticipated that this meeting with result in establishing closer research and teaching links between the universities and more formal talks will begin over summer 2024.