You’re Invited to Attend Digital Studies Institute Esport Symposium

November 9 – 10, 2023

Videogames have become a global sensation and spectacle. In recent years, we have witnessed the increasing popularity of multiplayer competitive games such as Valorant, Call of Duty, Fortnite, and League of Legends, the expanding viewership of Twitch content creators, and the growing multibillion-dollar industry of professional videogame players. Yet, who are these players? Who are the viewers and the fans? What games take center stage, and why? Who is celebrated and why, and who may be excluded? This symposium explores the energetic phenomenon of esports—videogaming as a spectator sport—through the lens of identity and the embodied experiences of race, gender, and disability. While some players and fans might view online gaming as separate from real-world concerns of identity (where who you are doesn’t matter as long as you are “good”), we look at the many surprising ways identity shapes—and is shaped by—digital games, technologies, and their competitive worlds. 

Registration and Schedule of Events:

November 9 at 4:00 pm | Playing Like an Asian: Race, Gender, & Athleticism in Esports

November 10 at 11:00 am | #TechFail: From Intersectional (In)Accessibility to Inclusive Design

November 10 at 3:00 pm | Esports Unveiled: A Journey into the Light and Shadows of a Thriving Global Phenomenon

November 10 at 5:00 pm | Mario Gaming Night