COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES AND THE IMPACT OF ESPORTS IN THAI SOCIETY

Abstract

The Objectives of this research article were to 1) communication in game and esports online community; 2) impact of esports in Thai society and                          3) communication management guidelines and impact of esports in Thai society. Qualitatively, the research is conducted by 1) Document Analysis 2) Participant Observation 3) In-depth Interview of 16 people who were esports athletes, esports player, scholar and professional, which was purposive sampling. The research outcomes are 1) Communication in esport games and online gaming communities is Two Way Communication. Through the game systems, communication messages are interacted through text boxes and vocal conversations via speakers and microphones. The purposes of communication are delivered based on two positions. Firstly, as senders, game casters and esports athletes communicate to cast the games. Secondly, as receivers, gamers watch and follow the game casting. In gaming context, various communicative styles are created, depending on different personalities of each game casters. Noticeably, abusive languages and contents are detected, especially among children and adolescents. According to the interview, esports contain both positive and negative impacts. Regarding the upside, it is a recreational activity which emotionally provides entertainment and relaxation. However, the downside concerns both physical and mental healths such as eyesight problems, muscle pain, sedentary behavior, and game addiction. 2) The researcher proposes ESPORTS Model as guidelines for communication management and the impact of esports in Thai society. They are E: Ecosystem of Esports, S: Social Media and Game Communication, P: Protection of Children and Adolescents, O: Opportunity to Create New Careers, R: Rules, Regulations and Responsibility, T: Training to Create Smart Players and Business Operators and S: Soft Power Esports Industry.