Does Country matter in affecting what esports title you play and watch?

Abstract

The popularity of esports has greatly increased since the early 2010s. People from around the world play and watch different esports titles. Although there are esports titles that are popular worldwide, some are only popular in certain countries or regions. This prompted an investigation into the possibility that the player’s country affects which esports title they may play and watch.

This study discusses four factors that are theorized to be probable causes behind why the country may affect which esports titles are chosen. The four factors discussed are culture, community, financial reasons, and internet connection. To evaluate the validity of the four factors, a survey was conducted. The aim of the survey was to gather data that would help to evaluate the validity of the theorized factors as well as to find other probable factors.

Data from the survey revealed that only a small percentage of the respondents were influenced by their country. Of the four factors examined, culture was the most probable factor that influences a person while the other factors were unlikely causes. Indicating that while a country can affect a person's choice of esports titles it is an unlikely occurrence. However, the small population of respondents to the survey severely limits the scope of this study and cannot be generalized.