Abstract
The videogames industry has known an amazing growth over the last years. We have seen the rise of the competitive gaming since the 1980’s. Supported by the brands, the development of the eSport is mostly financed by the sponsorship.
Experts on this field think that the eSport will be more important than basketball and ice-hockey soon; For the brands, it is a financial and marketing opportunity. Indeed, eSport allows to reach a young generation of people, which are not particularly interested by the traditional media.
The eSport and the gaming in general are becoming new experiences for the public. These experiences can take several forms, including some partnerships between gaming and charities.
Then, the purpose of this study is to highlight the perception of the eSport community toward the experiences proposed by brands and charities on the competitive gaming scene.
Regarding the lack of academic resources concerning the eSport and the charities, to answer and understand the degree of perception of the community and the difference between brands and charities’ perceptions, the research methodology is based on a mono-method research design composed by a survey. This method aims to provide new and relevant information concerning the involvement of brands and charities on the eSport scene and the difference of perception felt by the French eSport community.
The research provides that the community is supporting the investment of brands, and have a clear preference concerning the type of brand involved. Then, the result show also that there is a preference for the charities involvement. Thus, the research show to the charitable organizations that the eSport is a good intermediary and should be more used by charities.
