Dimensionalizing esports consumption: alternative journeys to professional play

Much of the extant literature on esports consumption has characterized esports consumers as striving for mastery of their gaming skills, with a focus on professional esports players. Through a hermeneutic analysis of the esports literature, insider immersion, and in-depth interviews, this study applies a qualitative research design to illustrate the various journeys that non-professional esports consumers embark upon that incorporate multiple consumption practices. We advance the axes of ‘skills versus culture’ and ‘serious versus casual’ as ways to dimensionalize different consumer journeys. We also demonstrate that consumer journeys in the esports field are fluid, with consumers moving across the different dimensions according to their broader life context.