Saturday 25 July 11:25
- 12:55
Hall: 09 - Palazzina 1
Chair and Presenter:
Caputo Andrea
Discussant:
Cortese Claudio Giovanni
Division: Division 12: Sport Psychology
Esports has emerged as one of the fastest-growing performance domains, attracting increasing attention from psychology researchers and practitioners. Beyond technical and tactical skills, competitive gaming poses unique psychological challenges and opportunities to professional gamers, making it a fertile ground for the application of sport psychology themes. This symposium brings together five contributions exploring how applied psychological approaches can help both esports athletes' performance and well-being within this new and ever-expanding field.
The first presentation examines the phenomenon of tilt in League of Legends players, providing a qualitative understanding of its antecedents, impact on performance, and strategies for regulation. Building on this focus on individual performance, the second presentation reports preliminary findings from a psychological training program based on the S.F.E.R.A. model, adapted for esports athletes, aimed at enhancing mental skills and performance outcomes.
The third contribution expands the discussion by exploring holistic perspectives on self-care in elite esports, considering how players, coaches, managers, and practitioners conceptualize and enact self-care practices in a culturally relevant and sustainable way. The fourth presentation addresses career development and professional identity in esports by analyzing functional roles, engagement patterns, and the socio-professional positioning of esports participants.
Finally, the fifth presentation investigates the perceptions and experiences of esports players, coaches, and support staff regarding sport psychology practitioners, highlighting both the value and challenges of integrating psychological expertise in esports organizations.
Together, these contributions illustrate how applied psychology can inform not only individual performance enhancement but also broader issues of well-being, organizational practice, and career sustainability in esports. The symposium offers insights for researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders interested in advancing evidence-based approaches to support athletes and professionals in this rapidly evolving domain.
