How Self-Determination Theory Explains the Dynamic Ecosystem of Esports: From Gaming to Life Skills

Through the lens of a macro-theory of human motivation, this study investigated how the dynamic esports ecosystem – comprising playing, viewing, and competitive participation – enables a diverse range of esports gamers to fulfill innate and universal basic psychological needs. A deductive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews grounded in self-determination theory (SDT) was used to theorize and interpret the experiences of individual esports gamers. Participants suggested that esports provides a favorable environment where gamers’ basic psychological needs can be fulfilled and supported through participating in esports. We highlighted how participating in esports allows esports gamers to fulfill their basic psychological needs for competence, relatedness, and autonomy on the multi-level aspects. Furthermore, we identified the conditional factors (i.e., technology; vicarious achievement) in facilitating gamers’ psychological outcomes associated with esports participation. Our findings extend the understanding of esports consumption by demonstrating how gamers’ basic psychological needs are satisfied within an interconnected ecosystem, sustainably motivating their engagement across diverse activities.