A Bibliometric Analysis of Electronic Sports: Identifying the Knowledge Structure, Key Trends, and Future Research Horizons

Introduction:
The meteoric rise of esports from a niche subcultural pursuit to a global multi-billion-dollar industry represents one of the most significant socio-cultural and economic phenomena of the 21st century. This rapid professionalization and commercialization has, in turn, prompted a parallel surge in academic inquiry across a diverse range of disciplines, including sports science, media studies, psychology, marketing, and computer science. However, the very speed and interdisciplinary nature of this growth has cultivated a complex, fragmented, and often disconnected intellectual landscape. The existing body of knowledge is characterized by disciplinary silos, geographical divides in research focus, and a lack of theoretical coherence, making it profoundly challenging for researchers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to navigate its core themes, identify foundational knowledge, and chart productive future directions. This study addresses this critical gap by conducting a comprehensive bibliometric analysis designed to systematically map the conceptual structure, thematic evolution, and collaborative networks within the esports research domain. By providing a data-driven, panoramic cartography of the field, this paper aims to achieve three primary objectives: first, to delineate the primary intellectual pillars and foundational theories that underpin current scholarship; second, to identify the key actors—including the most influential authors, institutions, and journals—that shape the discourse; and third, to pinpoint emerging research frontiers and outline critical, high-impact areas for future scholarly investigation. In doing so, we provide an essential navigational tool for a burgeoning yet chaotic field, offering intellectual coherence and a strategic vision for its continued maturation.
Methodology:
To construct a robust and replicable map of the esports research landscape, data for this analysis were systematically extracted from the Scopus database, which was selected for its extensive coverage of peer-reviewed literature across disciplines, its rigorous quality control, and its provision of rich metadata essential for bibliometric analysis. A carefully constructed search query, TITLE-ABS-KEY(esport*), was employed, limited to peer-reviewed articles ("ar") published in English-language journals ("j"). This process yielded a final corpus of 901 scholarly articles published within the timeframe of 2012 to 2025. Employing the Biblioshiny R-package, a powerful and versatile tool for scientometric analysis, we conducted a multi-faceted investigation. This encompassed performance analysis (publication trends, citation metrics), science mapping of the intellectual structure (co-citation analysis, keyword co-occurrence), thematic mapping to identify core and emerging research clusters, and social structure analysis (collaboration network analysis). Our initial findings reveal a field characterized by nothing short of explosive growth, evidenced by a staggering annual growth rate of 42.25%.
Thematic Architecture of Esports Research:
The thematic mapping, which forms the analytical core of this study, delineates the intellectual architecture of the field into four distinct quadrants based on two key dimensions: centrality (representing the importance and interconnectedness of a theme within the broader network) and density (representing the degree of development and internal cohesion of the research within a theme). This cartographic approach reveals the functional roles of different research clusters, from foundational motor themes to specialized niche inquiries.
Motor Themes: The Engine Room of the Discipline:
The motor themes quadrant, representing the most developed and central topics, constitutes the intellectual engine driving the majority of contemporary esports research. This quadrant is dominated by two primary clusters: "Gambling and Virtual Item Economies" and "Ecosystems and Governance." The prominence of the former, encompassing topics like loot boxes, skin betting, and problem gambling, indicates that the discourse has rapidly matured to grapple with the most pressing regulatory and ethical challenges at the intersection of gaming and wagering. This research is no longer merely descriptive but is deeply engaged with legal, psychological, and economic frameworks, reflecting the real-world urgency surrounding these issues. The second motor theme, "Ecosystems and Governance," which includes spectatorship, live streaming, and platform governance, signifies a critical shift in scholarly focus. The academic conversation has moved beyond simply defining what esports is to analyzing how esports works as a complex, multi-layered industry. The central role of platforms like Twitch as objects of study within this cluster highlights the understanding that the esports phenomenon is inseparable from the digital media infrastructures that support it. These themes are foundational, shaping both policy debates and the direction of industry development.
Basic Themes: Foundational Pillars and Intellectual Imports:
Conversely, the basic themes quadrant, characterized by high centrality but lower internal development, functions as the field’s primary zone for intellectual importation, acting as a bridge to foundational concepts from established disciplines. Key clusters here include "Cognitive and Physiological Performance" and "Mental Health and Psychological Factors." The former, with its focus on reaction time, nutrition, heart rate variability, and expert performance, demonstrates a significant "scientification" of esports research. This aligns the field with traditional sports science, as scholars apply rigorous methodologies to understand and enhance the human factors that drive elite competitive success. The latter cluster, examining issues of stress, anxiety, sleep, and burnout, reflects a growing concern for athlete well-being and sustainability. This research brings a crucial humanistic and psychological lens to a domain often perceived as purely technological, exploring both the risks and potential cognitive benefits associated with high-level competitive gaming. These themes are fundamental because they provide the theoretical and methodological bedrock upon which more specialized inquiries are built.
Niche Themes: Specialized Silos of Inquiry:
The niche themes quadrant, which includes highly specialized but less central topics, reveals the existence of distinct research silos—areas of deep but narrow inquiry that are not yet fully integrated into the mainstream discourse. The cluster "Competition and Physical Health," with its focus on sports simulation games like FIFA and esports soccer, is a prime example. While internally coherent, this research remains somewhat disconnected from the broader discourse surrounding dominant genres like multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs) or first-person shooters (FPS), which involve different skill sets, player bases, and ecosystem structures. Similarly, the "Social and Leisure Dimensions" cluster focuses intensely on the motivations and behaviors of spectators but has yet to be systematically linked to performance or economic themes. This signals a significant research gap: while we understand why people watch, the field has yet to fully explore how these social dynamics of spectatorship directly influence player performance, team cohesion, and the economic vitality of the wider ecosystem. These niche areas represent opportunities for future integrative research that can bridge conceptual divides.
Emerging Themes: The Research Frontiers:
Finally, the emerging/declining themes quadrant identifies the frontiers of future research. The most prominent cluster, "Consumer Behavior and Adoption," which employs established marketing theories like the Theory of Planned Behavior, represents a critical maturation point. It signals an academic formalization of consumer research, moving beyond descriptive analyses of fan motives towards the development of predictive models of fan behavior, purchasing intent, and media consumption. This highlights a strategic opportunity for researchers to provide actionable insights for an industry hungry for a deeper understanding of its rapidly growing consumer base. This quadrant points toward where the field is headed, showcasing the nascent areas that are poised for significant growth and impact in the coming years.
Key Actors and Collaboration Networks:
Our analysis reveals that the intellectual discourse is not randomly distributed but is shaped by a core group of influential scholars, institutions, and a distinct geopolitical structure of collaboration. The work of Hamari J. stands out with an h-index of 10 and over 2,123 citations, cementing his foundational role in defining the field and its key concepts. The single most cited article, by Hilvert-Bruce et al. (2018) on user motivations on the Twitch platform (591 citations), underscores the paradigmatic importance of spectatorship and live-streaming platforms in defining the modern esports experience. Concurrently, the highly influential work of Seo Y. (2016), examining identity transformation through professional consumption, highlights the field's deep and sustained interest in the socio-cultural dimensions of esports participation.
The collaboration network analysis reveals a geopolitical structure dominated by a strong USA-China axis. This primary channel of knowledge exchange represents a powerful symbiosis, converging the established academic frameworks and research infrastructure of the West with the immense market dominance, technological prowess, and industry leadership of Asia. Beyond this central axis, secondary clusters highlight other influential dynamics. The robust Australia-UK and USA-South Korea links reflect the enduring influence of historical Commonwealth academic partnerships and the pioneering role of South Korea in the industrial and cultural development of esports, respectively. Notably, certain institutions, such as Southern Cross University, function as critical network brokers. They are not merely participants but act as strategic nodes that facilitate international collaboration and knowledge exchange, thereby enhancing the global cohesion and preventing the further fragmentation of the research landscape.
Conclusion and a Strategic Roadmap for Future Research:
In conclusion, this bibliometric study provides far more than a statistical summary of a field; it offers a detailed intellectual cartography and a strategic roadmap for the future of esports research. Our findings identify a clear evolutionary trajectory from early, foundational definitions toward sophisticated, multi-level analyses of the complex global ecosystem. The map we have charted reveals both the established territories of knowledge and the vast, uncharted frontiers awaiting exploration. Based on this comprehensive analysis, we propose four key future research horizons that promise to yield high-impact contributions:
Integrative Ecosystem Modeling: Bridging the critical gap between the niche social studies of spectatorship and the central motor themes of performance and economics. Future research should develop integrative models that link fan engagement metrics with team revenue streams and player performance data to create a more holistic, systems-level understanding of the fan experience and its tangible impact.
Advancing Predictive Consumer Analytics: Moving beyond descriptive studies of consumer motives to develop sophisticated predictive analytics. Research should focus on drivers of fan loyalty, subscription versus one-time purchases, and advanced fan segmentation models to provide the industry with actionable, data-driven marketing strategies.
Deepening Athlete Performance and Wellness Research: Expanding the integration of physiological and psychological research through longitudinal studies on athlete career arcs, the development of evidence-based mental wellness and burnout prevention protocols, and the efficacy of novel training regimens.
Exploring Ethical, Legal, and Regulatory Frontiers: Systematically investigating the profound ethical and regulatory challenges presented by the convergence of esports, virtual economies, and gambling. This includes critical inquiry into player rights, data privacy, fair play, the governance of transnational digital economies, and the responsibilities of platform holders.