League of Legends in Colombia: material conditions, the instability of competition and professional difficulties from the periphery of e-sports

Abstract

Electronic sports or e-sports refer to professional competitive video game practices, institutionally constituted and regulated. In this universe, the professional League of Legends (LoL) scene stands out for its popularity and because it is structured globally under centralized governance, bringing together millions of players worldwide who compete regionally and locally. From Pierre Bourdieu’s perspective, an analysis of the professional field of LoL in Colombia, its logic and dynamics was conducted. Through this analysis, it was possible to situate the experience of playing LoL professionally in the country as part of a peripheral position within the global e-sport scenario due to a series of different factors. This peripheral position presents itself in the daily reality of the players in the field in different ways: material and social difficulties that hinder or completely limit their possibility of learning the game, strong inferiority complexes when comparing themselves to players in other regions and an ever-present structural instability that can end up cutting short their dreams. This article analyzes these conditions and the way they are perceived by the agents who play for a living in the professional context of LoL in Colombia.