Assessing cultural capital, community connection and value in esports gaming on HBCU campuses

Esports have become popular among the youngest generations, framing competition around games that are popular on various console and computer platforms. More university campuses than ever now boast esports participation, with clubs, intramural groups, and recognized intercollegiate teams that can be found coast to coast in the United States (Kieper et al, 2017). While prior research has demonstrated benefits broadly for esports players, there has yet to be specific research to broad benefits for African American gamers. There needs to be a deeper investigation of how African Americans are navigating the space of esports: what are their potential benefits, what are the barriers, and how it relates to their interaction with the university community and their broader community.

The principal objective of this project is to provide data that speaks to the impact of esports on HBCU students who participate. This research involves mixed methods in two pieces: a survey specifically for HBCU esports participants and a series of focus groups for select esports participants. The survey will be administered to HBCU campuses in Maryland, Washington DC, and Florida, and focus groups will be done also on those campuses. The study expects to recruit at least 100 people for the survey and 45 participants for the focus groups. This research will provide more information on the experiences of esports gamers on HBCU campuses and provide a window into how esports can have a positive effect on the student population.