Play to Win, Profit & Entertain: a Study of Double Performance as Athlete and Streamer

Abstract

The differences between esports and live streaming are less than obvious and tend to become more diffuse as pro-players take advantage of popularity gained in esports to promote themselves as live streamers. The study presented in this paper intended to characterize the intersection between these two roles and activities, as represented in a case study. Methodological procedures involved observation, recording and mapping of 20 broadcasts. The discussion is supported by the notion of mediation, as proposed by the Latin American Communication School, performance theories and previous literature on the two activities, most of which focuses on one or the other. Results confirmed the need for different competences and the influence of different mediations in the two types of activity. In the case study, the contrast between the pro-player and the streamer personas granted authenticity to the latter, but the streamer persona was at service of the professional persona, not the other way around.