Santesih

Journée d’ETUDE

Towards more professionalized esports practices?

21 & 22 May 2026

Call for oral communications – Esports conference cohosted by Montpellier University (Faculty of Sports Sciences, France) and Hanoi School of Business and Management, Vietnam National University (HSB-VNU, Vietnam).

Call for oral communication – conference on sustainable development of esports FL – PDF 545 KoTélécharger

Abstract

For the first joint conference organized between Montpellier University and HSB-VNU, we decided to dig into conditions of professionalization and sustainability of esports. In particular, the objective is to gather pieces of work from several different disciplines in order to explore the interests, the limitations and tensions that are connected to the professional structuration of esports. This conference therefore aims to provide a global and critical approach by questioning both the practices of esports stakeholders and the methods mobilized by scholars.

Proposition

Please send your propositions of communication (title, five keywords and an abstract of 300 words) as well as a short biography of author(s) before 30 March 2026. Please find below an abstract of the conference topics:

Axis  1: Health, performance and players inclusion

  1. Mental health and burn-out prevention for professional esports players.
  2. Holistic support strategies (nutrition, ergonomy, psychology and training).
  3. Gender unequality and inclusion dynamics within competitive spaces.
  4. Professional formation and double project for young esports players.
  5. Structuration of training environment and innovation in performance monitoring.

Axis 2: General structuration of the esports industry

  1. Esports institutionnalization: stakes, résistances and compared models.
  2. Governance and integrity within esports competitions.
  3. Juridical regulation and player contracts: state of the art and perspectives.
  4. Communication strategies during crisis and image management within esports structures.
  5. Relationships between public and privates actors in developing esports ecosystem.

Axis 3: Business models and sustainability

  1. Diversification of income streams: merchandising, ticketing, exclusive content, etc.
  2. Clubs funding: fundrising, subsidies and public private partnerships.
  3. Corporate societal responsabilities within esports business models.
  4. Esports tourism and hybridation within other cultural industries (fashion, music, cinema).
  5. Towards a sustainable financial autonomy: strategies and organizational good practices.

Each proposition would need to clearly define the research question, methodologies, framework and results. Each communication will be structure around the following format: 20 minutes of presentation and 10 minutes of questions. All proposal will need to be sent to the following email address: