The Need for Scientific Data in the Esports Industry
How data helps measure diversity and can promote DEI
When it comes to esports and gaming there’s a lot of data available. This applies to the games themselves. One can rewatch their games, get statistics and can compare themselves with other players. The same applies to esports as well. The viewers get statistics about every team, players, and single plays. All in all, there is a massive amount of data, that players and viewers rely on.
But thinking about the industry as a whole, there is not a lot of open-source data. The few data points that exist are about the market but little about employers for example. This iteration is all about data, how one can find what is already available and the need for more in the future.
The difference between data analytics and scientific data
Data Analytics - Data Analytics is the process of examining data sets in order to find trends and draw conclusions about the information they contain.
Scientific data - Scientific data is defined as information collected using specific methods for a specific purpose of studying or analyzing.
Open source and open data - What is open source? The term open source refers to something people can modify and share because its design is publicly accessible.
What is an Open Source Database? An open source database has code that is open and free for download, modification and re-use.
We have massive amounts of data about the consumers, viewers and games themselves. For example we know, that white game characters outnumber all other ethnicities.
We also have a lot of data about esports enthusiats:
We also know how much money on average is spent on different games, the exact times someone plays, and see the growth of different esports and genres.
While data analytics may work fine when analyzing data about players and viewers, it can’t be (directly) applied to other aspects of the esports industry. That is why we need scientific data to give us a better idea of what is going on ‘behind the scenes’ in the industry. Suppose we get scientific-based insides of the industry like hiring quotes, wages, and profiles. In that case, we can specifically see e.g. how diverse the industry is, and how we can potentially promote DEI.
How to find (scientific) data
When searching for scientific data you first have to understand the difference between primary and secondary sources. According to the University of Massachusetts Boston, primary Sources are immediate, first-hand accounts of a topic, from people who had a direct connection with it. Secondary Sources are one step removed from primary sources, though they often quote or otherwise use primary sources. They can cover the same topic, but add a layer of interpretation and analysis.
Here are 5 tips on how to find (scientific) data about esports and gaming:
There are some providers, where you can at least basic insights about games and esports for free, like Newzoo and Esports Charts.
Use secondary sources like esports journals e.g. International Journal of Esports, Esports Insider or Dot Esports. Journals often publish the latest data and research, while making them easier to read and understand.
Use search engines like Google Scholar to find scientific articles and data or use BASE (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine) specifically for open source data.
When searching yourself, try out different keywords to faster land specific hits.
Most important: take the time to check if a source is legit or not. Are there sources linked/ mentioned? Scientific sources should have at least a handful of sources mentioned. Does the article or website disclose how they got this information/ data? Is it a primary or secondary source (primary should always be preffered)? Is the provider of the information trustworthy in general?
More data and research are needed to promote DEI in esports
Temple University stated in an article, called eSport management: Embracing eSport education and research opportunities, in 2018: ‘As eSport continues to evolve, practitioners face managerial challenges that are similar to those in traditional sport, particularly in areas of governance and diversity.’
The esports industry has grown statically over the past years, that is why more research and data is needed about the industry. We need more research and data to identify what is already working and what can be improved.
We need more knowledge e.g. about work culture. Think about crunch time in project-based work. Crunch time means ‘a critical moment or period (as near the end of a game) when decisive action is needed’. Three out of four game developers still work crunch time, or extended hours, according to new data from the latest International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Developer Satisfaction Survey (DSS). And of those, about a third do not receive paid overtime for their work. According to the IGDA: ‘During crunch periods — or times when developers are trying to finish a game — 35 percent reported 50 hour to 59 hour work weeks, while 28 percent worked 60 hours to 69 hours a week and 13 percent declared weeks exceeding 70 hours at the office.’ Now think about having a family in those situations, being a single parent or having other care-work to do. There are factors like this that add on to this problem. If we would know how crunch time also affects other sectors and positions, organizations could adapt to it properly. This problem is close to mental health. We don’t have a lot of research done about mental health in the workplace or even pro-players in esports. If we had more research we could try to understand the obstacles and how to potentially overcome them. There are dozens of important topics you could add to the list. As a relatively young industry, esports has the opportunity to grow into a diverse and inclusive space for everyone.