E-Sport Consumption in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Over the past 10 years, electronic sports have become increasingly popular, attracting crowds on par with those at regular athletic events for top-level championships. The aim of this study was to identify the elements that influence E-Sports consumption in Sri Lanka. This study was conducted using a quantitative empirical analytical research design. The viewers (450) familiar with E-Sports from nine provinces in Sri Lanka were included in this study by using the opportunity sampling approach. Each participant responded to a 45-question online survey that was based on E-Sport consumption but adjusted for the Sri Lankan setting. ESport motivations included entertainment, knowledge, social interaction, arousal, and skill. Furthermore, participation in E-Sports was measured in terms of time spent consuming E-Sports. The MS Office package and SPSS software 17 were used to analyze the data. As a result, the study has provided evidence of the positive relationship between E-Sport motive and E-sport consumption (r=+0.264, p<0.05). Moreover, demographic factors such as province, gender, and level of education had a significant association with E-Sport consumption (chi-squared test, p<0.05), and age did not have a significant association with E-Sport consumption (p>0.05). The most popular E-Sports franchises in Sri Lanka were, in that order, Facebook Gaming, YouTube, Twitch, and ESPN. The Sri Lankan population may be better able to appreciate the importance of E-Sports as a result of this study, which can expand knowledge of how motivation affects E-Sports consumption in the Sri Lankan community.