Exploring Relationships Between Video Game Experience and Amateur Esports Participation: A Configurational Approach

This study aims to comprehensively investigate the relationships between mass gamers' video game experience and their decision-making regarding amateur esports participation, considering both psychological and functional aspects of the video game experience. An online questionnaire-based survey yielded 204 valid responses from US gamers who frequently played League of Legends over the last six months. The study utilised a configurational approach with fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to assess the proposed conceptual model and test the related propositions. The research identified three video game experience configurations associated with a high intention to engage in amateur esports and four video game experience configurations that explain a low intention to participate. These findings particularly highlight the role of psychological aspects of video game experience in amateur esports engagement, especially the meaning, which emerged as a core factor of two solutions for high-intention configurations. This study pioneers the investigation of how two different aspects (i.e., psychological and functional aspects) of the video game experience collectively influence gamers' readiness to partake in amateur esports, employing a fsQCA methodology for the first time in the context of (amateur) esports. This approach represents a shift from conventional variance-based methods in video games and esports research, offering a nuanced understanding of multiple pathways that lead to the same outcome of participation intention regarding amateur esports engagement. This study expands the current understanding by detailing the complex interplay of different video game experiences that foster a heightened interest in amateur esports engagement. © 2025 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC