Introduction
This study employed an interpretive phenomenological approach to explore and deeply understand the lived experience of identity construction among Iranian Generation Z in electronic sports.
Objective
The objective of this study is to explore and deeply understand the lived experience of identity construction among Iranian Generation Z in electronic sports.
Method
Data were collected through in-depth interviews with professional, semi-professional, and amateur players who had substantial experience in esports, using purposive sampling methods, and analyzed following interpretive phenomenological analysis guidelines.
Findings
The analysis process resulted in the identification of 473 meaningful statements, 107 meaning units, 13 sub-themes, and ultimately 5 main themes that delineate the complex and multilayered trajectory of identity construction: social non-belonging, discovery and transcendence, recognition and validation, belonging and identity reconstruction, and continuous tension and duality. The findings revealed that for Generation Z, electronic sports transcend mere digital entertainment, constituting a central and fundamental space for constructing, consolidating, and validating identity, wherein identities rejected and overlooked in traditional arenas find opportunities for reconstruction, flourishing, and validation. The process of identity construction in this space follows a dynamic trajectory across various life domains.
Conclusion
These findings underscore the imperative for serious reconsideration of educational, familial, and social approaches toward digital spaces and electronic sports, highlighting the need to provide psychosocial support and establish bridging mechanisms between digital and physical spaces to facilitate novel pathways of identity formation for this generation.