Public competitions that are based on digital games—what we know as eSports—are thriving all around the world. According to NewZoo (see https://newzoo.com/resources/ for updated data), the sector has generated almost $700 million in revenues involving 194 million people in 2017. This phenomenon is not
only about people playing sports; it also impacts digital entertainment as people watch eSporting events. This typically happens through Twitch.tv, a popular live-streaming portal with social media features counting over 10 million daily viewers (Twitch.tv, 2018). The most popular streamers show their own playing to thousand viewers, reshaping practices and expectations related to eSports and the sporting mindset. Such a claim is particularly relevant for streamers with special needs. Indeed, this media platform has been working as a crossroad where peculiar platform-native practices (e.g., streaming and interacting in real time with a larger audience, absence of post-editing/production, etc.) are affecting the definitions of disability and diversity, from promoting equality and related discussions to normalizing alternative conditions by just showing them. Moreover, several para e-athletes are streaming their own matches with the support of organizations like The AbleGamers and Twitch.tv itself. This article addresses a unique participant in the digital sporting mindset—the rise of the eSports player with special needs (e.g.,
para e-athletes). It addresses the larger question of who might get excluded in some sporting formats and how are they now being included in eSports. The hypothesis driving this study is that eSports and their competitive and entertainment dimension on Twitch.tv can trigger affinity spaces able to overturn stigmas
against special needs, which are strongly affected by social representations and metaphors (Edberg, 2012). The authors directed an exploratory ethnography and then an empirical investigation of six twitchers (i.e., streamers on Twitch.tv) with special needs. The latter analysis targeted 24 hours of streaming
collecting in-game action, streamers’ behavior, and chat discussions with a discourse analysis technique (Gee, 2012). The key concepts leading the inquiry spanned performing style, affinity space, and debating patterns and values. The article is structured as follows: the first section addresses the relationship
between sports, digital games, and special needs; the research design is then introduced; the final two sections present the results and discussion of the outcomes. Findings provide an overview of this phenomenon with best practices and reference patterns of interaction and performance. Implications are
noteworthy for both practitioners and scholars, from harnessing this practice for more inclusive processes to directing further studies about the sporting mindset of non-traditional participants.
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