The Continuity of eSports Athletes’ Careers: Skill Transformation, Personal Development, and Well-Being

Abstract

Despite the rapid growth of the eSports industry with respect to its economic scale and the demand for eSports players, the career transformation experiences and well-being of eSports athletes have been largely overlooked. This study aims to explore eSports athletes’ personal development in terms of career continuity, associated skill transformation, and well-being after retirement. Employing non-participatory observations and semi-structured interviews, we unpack two different pedagogical contexts of retiring eSports athletes: one is “continuity paths” (three transformation options and associated skill sets), and the other is “desire for continuity” (psychological strengths and explicit tacit knowledge). Our findings provide practical guidance for the career transition experiences of eSports athletes and contribute to understanding the sustainable framework required for the self-development of talent within eSports education and the eSports industry. The findings suggest that psychological consultants and athletic rehabilitation therapists should be employed to provide professional advice, interventions, and treatment to eSports athletes before and after retirement.