Play to Belong: Esports Hubs in Libraries – Roldan & McDaniel (ERNC25) скачать в хорошем качестве

Play to Belong: Esports Hubs in Libraries – Roldan & McDaniel (ERNC25)

This presentation by Sara Roldan and Zachary McDaniel from San Diego State University explores how relocating collegiate esports hubs into academic libraries can challenge gamer stigma and unlock more inclusive participation and student-led leadership pathways. Driven by the Play to Belong initiative, San Diego State University Library hosts the Esports Engagement Center in a 24-hour scholarly setting, co-designing workshops with campus identity centers to elevate diversity, belonging, and leadership development through cooperative scrims, expert panels, mentorship breakouts, and low-cost peer-replicable frameworks. Preliminary insights show increased engagement from Latino student communities, strong qualitative signals of belonging (“feeling seen”), and rising student ownership in event organisation—while also highlighting persistent gaps in gender diversity. The team outlines next-stage wellbeing and safety modules focused on neurodivergent-friendly gaming cultures, mental wellness, and safeguarding of community spaces, positioning library-based esports hubs as strategic interventions for institutional retention, social capital, and extracurricular legitimacy, beyond traditional athletics. Keywords: esports, inclusion, diversity, libraries, belonging, cooperative play, leadership development, retention strategies About the ERN Conference 2025: The Esports Research Network Conference 2025 took place online from November 12–14, 2025 as a continuous, 72-hour global livestream. Guided by the theme “Future Realities: Esports as a Global Lab,” the event explored how esports serves as a living laboratory for understanding digital transformation across education, media, technology, and society. This innovative digital-first format followed the sun across three regional hubs, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania & Michigan State University (Americas), Staffordshire University (EMEA), and UNSW Sydney (Asia-Pacific), creating a nonstop, interconnected academic experience available to participants worldwide. This ambitious production was made possible through the support of Corsair for Business, whose Elgato technology powered high-quality broadcasting and seamless livestreaming across all three hubs. ERNC25 continues the network’s mission to unite scholars, practitioners, and students while fostering open, global collaboration in esports research. Full abstracts for all presentations can be viewed in the official Book of Abstracts at: https://book.esportsresearch.net Website: https://esportsresearch.net