E-Sports from the Perspective of Sports Psychologists

Abstract

With the rapid expansion of access to digital environments and the increasing interest in computer games, e-sports has recently garnered significant attention. This growing interest is evident not only globally but also in Türkiye. This qualitative study aims to examine e-sports from the perspective of sports psychologists working in the field of sports sciences. The research was conducted through interviews with seven sports psychologists employed in various institutions across Türkiye. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews based on seven expert-validated questions related to e-sports. The majority of participants considered e-sports a legitimate sport discipline despite its lack of physical activity, citing the presence of mental effort, strategic thinking, competition, and cognitive-motor skills as key justifications. Moreover, psychologists noted that e-athletes experience similar psychological challenges to traditional athletes, including long training hours, intense team dynamics, and performance pressure. However, concerns such as social isolation, physical health problems, digital addiction, and career uncertainty were also highlighted. The psychologists proposed multifaceted strategies for enhancing e-athletes’ performance and psychological well-being, including individual assessment, goal setting, mental training, stress management, and the development of social skills. The findings suggest that e-sports should not be viewed merely as a form of digital entertainment but rather as an interdisciplinary field intersecting with sport psychology, career development, and social interaction. Thus, this study offers a unique and practice-oriented contribution to the literature from the perspective of sport psychology.