CALL FOR PROPOSALS

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TOPICS
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PRESENTATION

While esports has entered a phase of popularization and professionalization since the beginning of 2010 (Taylor, 2012), the question of its sustainability is becoming a major challenge in terms of games longevity and governance (Peng et al., 2020), teams and league organizers business models (Scholz, 2019), or players’ careers (Meng-Lewis et al., 2020).

In this respect, esports news constantly reminds us that these careers can end abruptly or at least be put on hold due to health problems, be they physical, mental and emotional, or social.
Whether to ensure their well-being or optimize their performance, prevention of player’s health is taking an increasingly decisive place in the esports ecosystem, as evidenced by the multiplication of health-management staff in teams (physiotherapists, mental trainers, dieticians, etc.).

Research on esports is nowadays abundant (Reitman et al., 2020) but the theme of health is still in its infancy and deserves the full attention of researchers (Wattanapisit et al., 2020; Yin et al., 2020) and the esports industry (Miah, 2020). Studies are still relatively few in number, although they have been increasing since 2019. However, recent publications suggest trends in the most frequently addressed topics such as physical (in)activity (Kari et al., 2019; Pereira et al., 2019; Di Francisco-Donoghue et al., 2020; Rudolf et al., 2020; Trotter et al., 2020), musculoskeletal disorders (Zwibel et al., 2019; Lindberg et al., 2020) and physical injuries in general (Di Francisco-Donoghue et al. 2019; Bahrilli et al., 2020) or sleep (Bonnar et al., 2019; Lee et al., 2020), while other topics would benefit from further study (e.g. burnout, eating disorders, circadian rhythms, cognitive doping, etc.).

The main aim of parallel sessions is therefore to encourage participants from across fields to share knowledge, provide new insights and disseminate their most recent results about health and esports. The objective of the event is also to offer a platform to create inter- and cross-disciplinary collaborations while fostering contacts and bridges between the academic world and the esports industry.

TOPICS

1. PHYSICAL HEALTH

Physical injuries are certainly the most visible elements of health problems experienced by intensive players. Historically, these are certainly the disorders that have received the most media attention. All presentations on the following topics will be appreciated :

  • Eye fatigue
  • Musculo-Skeletal Disorders (MSD)
  • Postural disorders
  • Ergonomics (chairs, controllers, apparels)
  • Joint inflammation or injury (back, neck, elbow, wrist, fingers)
  • Physical inactivity
  • Physiological fatigue
  • Chronobiological (circadian) rhythms
  • Nutrition and hydration
  • Sleep disorders, etc.

2. MENTAL HEALTH

More recently, concerns related to the mental health of elite players have been mainly revealed through burnout testimonials. As cognitive performance is essential in esports, all presentations on the following topics will be appreciated :

  • Mental exhaustion and burnout
  • Compulsive practice vs. intensive practice
  • Eating disorders
  • Stress and Emotional Control
  • Esports psychology
  • Aggressive behaviours
  • Cognitive doping, etc.

3. SOCIAL HEALTH

Finally, often neglected, social and cultural aspects certainly play a key role in a holistic analysis of player health and well-being. The nascent organization of the ecosystem coupled with the increasingly economic stakes, certainly puts a considerable burden on the shoulders of players who are sometimes very young and still in development. All presentations on the following topics will be appreciated :

  • Practice environment (gaming house, performance center, home, etc.)
  • Parental environment
  • Diversity and inclusion (gender, racial, generational, accessibility for those with disabilities, etc.)
  • Cultural distancing and social exclusion
  • Time management (traveling or training schedules) and rhythms of life
  • COVID-19 impact
  • Group management and social cohesion (managing conflict and appropriate communication), etc.

Bahrilli, T., Hamiyet, Y. Ü. C. E., & Çakir, Y. N. (2020). Determining The health problems of electronic athletes. Uygulamalı Ekonomi ve Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 2(1), 42-58.

 

Bonnar, D., Lee, S., Gradisar, M., & Suh, S. (2019). Risk Factors and sleep intervention considerations in Esports: a review and practical guide. Sleep Medicine Research, 10(2), 59-66.

 

Di Francisco-Donoghue, J., Balentine, J., Schmidt, G., & Zwibel, H. (2019). Managing the health of the eSport athlete: an integrated health management model. BMJ open sport & exercise medicine, 5(1), e000467.

 

Di Francisco-Donoghue, J., Werner, W. G., Douris, P. C., & Zwibel, H. (2020). Esports players, got muscle? Competitive video game players’ physical activity, body fat, bone mineral content, and muscle mass in comparison to matched controls. Journal of Sport and Health Science.

 

Kari, T., Siutila, M., & Karhulahti, V.-M. (2019). An Extended Study on Training and Physical Exercise in Esports. In B. R. Dubbels (Ed.), Exploring the Cognitive, Social, Cultural, and Psychological Aspects of Gaming and Simulations (pp. 270-292). IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1- 5225-7461-3.ch010

 

Lee, S., Bonnar, D., Kim, Y., Lee, Y., Lee, S., Gradisar, M., & Suh, S. (2020). Sleep Characteristics and Risk Factors of Korean Esports Athletes: An Exploratory Study. Sleep Medicine Research, 11(2), 77-87.

 

Lindberg, L., Nielsen, S. B., Damgaard, M., Sloth, O. R., Rathleff, M. S., & Straszek, C. L. (2020). Musculoskeletal pain is common in competitive gaming: a cross-sectional study among Danish esports athletes. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 6(1), 000799.

 

Meng-Lewis, Y., Wong, D., Zhao, Y., & Lewis, G. (2020). Understanding complexity and dynamics in the career development of eSports athletes. Sport Management Review.

 

Miah, A. (2020). How do esports companies support their community’s wellness? International Journal of Esports, 1(1).

 

Peng, Q., Dickson, G., Scelles, N., Grix, J., & Brannagan, P. M. (2020). Esports governance: exploring stakeholder dynamics. Sustainability, 12(19), 8270.

 

Pereira, A. M., Brito, J., Figueiredo, P., & Verhagen, E. (2019). Virtual sports deserve real sports medical attention. BMJ open sport & exercise medicine, 5(1).

 

Reitman, J. G., Anderson-Coto, M. J., Wu, M., Lee, J. S., & Steinkuehler, C. (2020). Esports research: A literature review. Games and Culture, 15(1), 32-50.

 

Rudolf, K., Bickmann, P., Froböse, I., Tholl, C., Wechsler, K., & Grieben, C. (2020). Demographics and health behavior of video game and eSports players in germany: the esports study 2019. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(6), 1870.

 

Scholz, T. M. (2019). eSports is Business. Springer International Publishing.

 

Taylor, T. L. (2012). Raising the stakes: E-sports and the professionalization of computer gaming. Mit Press.


Trotter, M. G., Coulter, T. J., Davis, P. A., Poulus, D. R., & Polman, R. (2020). The association between esports participation, health and physical activity behaviour. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(19), 7329.

 

Wattanapisit, A., Wattanapisit, S., & Wongsiri, S. (2020). Public health perspectives on eSports. Public Health Reports, 135(3), 295-298.

 

Yin, K., Zi, Y., Zhuang, W., Gao, Y., Tong, Y., Song, L., & Liu, Y. (2020). Linking Esports to health risks and benefits: Current knowledge and future research needs. Journal of sport and health science, 9(6), 485.

 

Zwibel, H., DiFrancisco-Donoghue, J., DeFeo, A., & Yao, S. (2019). An osteopathic physician’s approach to the esports athlete. Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 119(11), 756-762.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Submission deadline is 1st June 2021 (11:59 pm AoE). Abstracts submitted after the deadline will not be considered. Please see key dates related to the submission, review, registration and programming process. Abstract submissions should be made through the EasyChair system.
Importantly, please note the following conference policy: maximum of 1 paper first-authored and 3 papers co-authored.

Abstracts not complying with the guidelines provided on this page will bounce back before entering the review process and authors will be asked to resubmit.

Abstracts of 750 words maximum (title, author names, references not included) must propose a research work structured around scientific literature and qualitative and/or quantitative empirical data. A review of problematized literature providing conceptually updated knowledge may also be submitted.

Abstracts will be written in English, English being the language of expression of the conference, but participants from all countries are welcome.

All submissions will undergo a double-blinded peer-review process. Therefore the authors should remove any information that could give an indication of authorship.

Please submit your abstract in PDF-format.

Abstracts will be proposed according to the following format.

TITLE OF THE COMMUNICATION

  • Use a brief title to clearly indicate the nature of the research/project/contribution
  • Capitalise the first letter of each word
  • Do not use abbreviations in the title

KEYWORDS

  • 4 to 6 generic keywords

ABSTRACT OF THE COMMUNICATION

The abstract of 750 words maximum should include text only (i.e. pictures, figures and tables are excluded) and be written in Times New Roman text size 11, justified, single-spaced. The text will present in a synthetic and accessible way the major elements of your contribution:

  • Objective(s) and Research Question(s)
  • Theoretical Background and Literature Review
  • Methodology and Data Collection/Analysis
  • Main Results/Findings
  • Discussion & Practical Implications

Proposals referring to specific approaches (question reviews, inductive work, etc.) may deviate from this framework, which is only intended to frame classic communication proposals.

REFERENCES

SUBMIT YOUR WORK HERE

COMMITTEES

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

  • Dr. Tobias SCHOLZ (University of Siegen)
  • Dr. Sylvain LABORDE (University of Köln)
  • Dr. Laurent BOSQUET (University of Poitiers)
  • Dr. Seth JENNY (Slippery Rock University)
  • Dr. Stephanie ORME (Emmanuel College)
  • Dr. Andy MIAH (Salford University)
  • Dr. Juho HAMARI (Tampere University)
  • Dr. Bernard ANDRIEU (University of Paris)
  • Dr. Maria TÖRHÖNEN (Tampere University)
  • Dr. Brian McCAULEY (Jönköping University)
  • Dr. William PARTIN (University of North Carolina)

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

  • Dr. Nicolas BESOMBES (University of Paris)
  • Pr. Bernard ANDRIEU (University of Paris)
  • Dr. Gilles DIETRICH (University of Paris)
  • Dr. Damien VITIELLO (University of Paris)
  • Dr. Iman NEFIL (University of Paris)
  • Dr. Nounagnon AGBANGLA (University of Paris)
  • Dr. Marie AGOSTINUCCI (University of Lorraine)
  • Dr. Anne-Sophie SAYEUX (University of Paris)
  • Marie-Philippine SEBA, PhD Student (University of Paris)
  • Hajer RMADI, PhD Student (University of Paris)
  • Gaëtan GUIRONNET, PhD Student (University of Paris)
  • Jolan PRAUD, MSc Student (University of Poitiers)