Hi, my name is Rafael Soares Mariano Costa
I am a psychologist
My master’s degree is in education and social management
Currently I am a PhD student
in the Psychology graduate program
at the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais
Brazil
My research is about labor and eSports
with a qualitative approach
My research question
is to understand the labor of Brazilian eSports players
To understand labor
we must investigate it in different aspects
but first it´s necessary to remember that
that labor cannot be reduced in a job
it is more than that.
Our work, our activities, what we do in our dally life
bring personal expectations and desire
connect us with our society
an it is also guided to others.
That is why labor creates personal and collective memories.
I will investigate how professional eSports players
understand their activities
what they do individually and collectively
What are their expectations as professional players?
Do they feel recognized?
Do they have career plans?
How do they became a professional players?
Does a game update affect the work? If so, how?
What are the psychosocial factors in the job?
As my theoretical background,
I am using the theory of activity.
Work is a social phenomenon
built at the same time on individual and social levels
The subjectivity takes place in historically constituted social space.
That is why to understand labor
we also must understand the digital culture
and the game industry.
I will use interviews as my primary data collection source
Because interview allow to obtaining data
regarding several aspects of social life,
allowing an enrichment of the study’s theme.
To create these questions,
I have made a systematic review
of the bibliographic production about eSports
in Brazil and other countries.
and also about labor and work psychology.
Considering eSports as a digital culture phenomenon
netnography methodology will provide
useful data about it.
As a qualitative researcher my implication is necessary and part of the study
I love videogames, computer games, and technology.
One of my first childhood memory is going
with my grandfather
into an Arcade to play Street Fighter 2.
So I always liked it but never thought
about making science with it
until I went to a class about Virtuality and Subjectivity
It was the first time I saw a systematic review
about how technology has changed our lives
and what psychology, as science
has to say about it.
It opened my mind
So, I started to write about it
and decided this is what I want to study
And three months later I applied to a PhD course.
Using a Computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software
and the theoretical framework of Content Analysis
I will study all the data sources
bibliographic review, netnography, interviews and my field diary
to create a picture
about the work done by Brazilian professional eSports Players
and how they few about it.