ESports in Russia as a Marketing Object and Social Phenomenon

The article discusses the relatively new concept of computer sports. Computer sports (or eSports) have so far been studied mainly by representatives of business and marketing. The attention of researchers was mainly attracted by its target audience, both players and spectators, the main types and criteria of eSports disciplines, as well as indicators of commercial success. Based on the results of four author’s qualitative local studies and secondary data analysis, the article successively describes the key actors in the Russian eSports market: eSports organizations, advertisers/sponsors, media platforms covering tournaments, participating teams and spectators. The main interconnected structural components of the organization / units of the holding (eSports arenas, advertising agency and the teams themselves) are considered. Also presented are expert assessments from eSports competitors, allowing the evaluation of not only the peculiarities of the recruitment of eSports competitors, but also of the degree of their amateurism/professionalism, the attitude toward age restrictions on competitors and toward state control over the development of eSports, the potential of eSports as an advertising market and, generally, the current state of the eSports market in Russia, as well as its prospects for development.