Assessing the psychological pathways of esports events spectators: an application of service quality and its antecedents and consequences

Research question: This research develops and tests a comprehensive structural model to explain the psychological pathway behind esports spectator behaviours, linking perceived service quality to its antecedents (i.e. extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation) and consequences (i.e. satisfaction and revisit intention).

Research methods: Two rounds of data collection were completedf or Phase One (N = 485) and Phase Two (N = 217). The measurement items were borrowed from a range of pre-existing scales of traditional sport or esports. Phase One was designed to assess the psychometric properties of the measurement model. PhaseTwo was purported to test the pathways among the constructs as hypothesised in the structural model. Results and findings: In Phase One, the model fit indices showed good model fit, reliability and construct validity. In Phase Two, the SEM model fitness indices showed a marginally acceptable model fit. The path analysis supported 15 out of 19 hypotheses; no significant relationships were found between relatedness and intrinsic motivation, autonomy and extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation and physical environment, and intrinsic motivation and interaction. Overall, the structural model showed a moderate to substantial predictive power.

Implications: The study provides empirical evidence for the proposed relationships among the constructs and expands the realm of the current theories to the context of esports, especially the application of the self-determination theory and the new esports service quality model. It also provides a more comprehensive picture for esports practitioners to understand their spectators and balance their effort in managing elements which promote future attendance.