As an avid gamer myself, I was drawn to the Esports Cyberathlete Development (ECD) co-design group’s mission: to gain a better understanding of how gaming supports positive social and cognitive growth in cyberathletes. My educational background is rooted in psychology and I am interested in how technology can be used to benefit psychological background and research. To learn more about this, I am lending my expertise in studying human behavior from a biopsychosocial standpoint to the efforts of the ECD team.
As we move forward on our academic journey, we have discovered the necessity of operationally defining the behaviors we seek to understand and making sure that those definitions remain consistent across raters. To operationally define a behavior essentially means to define a behavior in a specific, concrete, and measurable way. This is especially important when more than one researcher will be taking part in an observation. For example, if we were looking for signs of exhaustion, one observer may consider rubbing eyes to be a sign of exhaustion while another observer does not. High levels of inter-rater reliability (referring to how similar the data collection is between the observers) are imperative to the success of study that has key qualitative components. As such, I was tasked with looking into places that the ECD co-design group could practice observing gamers in their natural environment, as well as compiling a list of non-academic resources members could use to supplement their general knowledge of gaming culture.
The following list refers to several locations within the DFW complex that offer gamers and those interested in learning more about Esports a site to gather at and to take part in the experience there.
- EZ Gaming Café
- Vibe: minimalistic; snacks and drinks offered from deep freezer, metal shelves
- Hosts local tournaments
- Offers PC gaming and consoles (Nintendo Switch, PS4)
- Vibe: minimalistic; snacks and drinks offered from deep freezer, metal shelves
- Nerdvana
- Vibe: “Games with your coffee” kind of place; café/bar first, with games you can play while eating/drinking
- Café and board games
- Bar and videogames
- Free to play with minimum $10/person purchase
- Vibe: “Games with your coffee” kind of place; café/bar first, with games you can play while eating/drinking
- Geekletes
- Vibe: grassroots Esports competitions that serves as a training ground for aspiring gamers
- Host local tournaments
- Provide courses on how to navigate and excel in the industry
- Recruiting and exposure
- Vibe: grassroots Esports competitions that serves as a training ground for aspiring gamers
- Java Gaming Café
- Vibe: minimalistic but luxurious
- Serves drinks to players at their PCs
- Two floors
- Hosts local tournaments
- Offers PC gaming and consoles (PS4, Wii U, Xbox One)
- Vibe: minimalistic but luxurious
- PLAYlive Nation at Stonebriar Centre
- Vibe: social gaming
lounge housed in Frisco, powered by Simplicity Esports (merged); high-tech
aesthetic (blue neon lights, generally dark, leather seating)
- Specializes in Xbox One and popular table games (e.g., Magic the Gathering)
- Offers VR gaming
- Vibe: social gaming
lounge housed in Frisco, powered by Simplicity Esports (merged); high-tech
aesthetic (blue neon lights, generally dark, leather seating)
- AK PC Gaming Café
- Vibe: similar look to an
office building; identifies as an Internet café
- PC gaming, web browsing, workstation
- Offers food and drinks (snacks, soft drinks, coffee, fries)
- Vibe: similar look to an
office building; identifies as an Internet café
- Esports Stadium Arlington Gaming Center
- Vibe: largest dedicated
Esports facility in North America
- Offers PC gaming and consoles (PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One)
- Must bring your own controllers and headsets, or rent some from them.
- Hosts local tournaments
- Offers food, drinks, and merchandise.
- Offers PC gaming and consoles (PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One)
- Vibe: largest dedicated
Esports facility in North America
However, simply being aware of the existence of these places may prove to be insufficient in supplementing our comprehension of gaming culture even if we were to visit. In order to effectively supplement our collective knowledge on Esports and gaming in general, I also put together a list of non-academic resources that are easily accessible and may explain cultural concepts in a simpler fashion. This list includes apps, attractions, and movies to gain a better understanding of Esports’ evolution.
- WEBTOON: No Scope by ZOYANG
- A webcomic about a fictional Esports game called PSI BOND and high school players attempting to become pro players
- Gives insight into player housing, recruiting, team building, basic aspects of Esports, women in Esports, Esports in Korea
- WEBTOON: Let’s Play by Mongie
- A webcomic about a game developer whose game is given a bad review by an Internet celebrity (“lets-player”).
- Gives insight into different types of games and gamers, impact of a gaming-centered career on mental and physical health, skills necessary to excel in a gaming-centered career (mainly game development)
- BBC documentary: The Supergamers/Rise of the Supergamer
- Looks into the lives of select teams and players as they train, live together, and learn to play together, striving for the common goal of making it big as a cyberathlete
- Netflix documentary: League of Legends Origins
- Details the rise of the popular MMOBA game League of Legends, its start as a free demo to an Esport game
If you or someone you know enjoys visiting any of the aforementioned gaming points or is aware of more non-academic resources that can help, explain gaming culture, please feel free to contact the Esports Co-Design Group Project Manager, Lauren Bernal, at Lauren.Bernal@UTDallas.edu.