NC State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Pre-conference workshops Monday 8 November 2027 · Conference Tuesday 9 to Thursday 11 November 2027
Organised by the Esports Research Network (ERN). Hosted by NC State University, with the support of Visit Raleigh.
About the conference
Esports research still often lives within disciplines that rarely meet: management and sport science, media and cultural studies, psychology, law, computer science, education, and more. Each discipline studies esports with its own questions and its own methods. The Esports Research Network Conference (ERNC) exists to bring these perspectives into one room with a deliberately international, interdisciplinary approach to understanding esports. The previous ERNC in 2026 at the University of Tsukuba (Japan) gathered 163 participants from 29 countries. For the first time, the ERNC moves to North America in 2027. NC State University will host three conference days from 9 to 11 November 2027, preceded by pre-conference workshops on the afternoon of 8 November.
Theme: Think & Do: Where Research, Competition & Community Converge
Esports has always lived in three worlds at once, especially in education. It is a field of research that has produced its own handbooks, journals, and degree programs in little more than a decade; it is a competitive practice that spans from the scholastic leagues to world championships; and it is a community of players, fans, organizers, clubs, universities, and cities. These three worlds, however, meet less often than they should. Research tends to study competition from the outside, organizers rarely draw on what research already knows, and communities appear as the object of a study more often than as its partner. Still, there are places where the three converge, and NC State is one of them: a university with an esports program, an esports arena, esports academic coursework, and an esports research community, in a city that treats esports as part of its event economy.
NC State’s motto, Think & Do, describes the task ERNC27 sets itself. We invite contributions that think about esports, contributions that do something with it, and, above all, those that do both. Three questions run through the conference:
- What can research learn from esports competition and community, and what does it owe them in return?
- How do esports competitive structures, from collegiate programs to professional circuits, shape the communities around them?
- When esports research, competition, and community converge, what makes that convergence last?
Topics
The program is organized in three strands that follow the theme. However, as is our tradition at every ERNC, work on any aspect of esports is welcome; the conference theme and listed topics are an invitation, not a filter.
Esports Research
- Theory building and the place of esports in the wider social sciences
- Research methods, data, and measurement in esports research
- Technology, data, and artificial intelligence in esports
- Academic esports education and curriculum
- History, heritage, and culture of competitive gaming
Esports Competition
- Performance, expertise, and sport science
- Health, psychology, and wellbeing of players
- Collegiate and scholastic esports
- Events, formats, and tournament design
- Governance, integrity, regulation, and law
- Business, management, and economics: sponsorship, media rights and business models
Esports Community
- Fans, streaming, media, and online communities
- Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility
- Education, careers, labor, human resources, and the platform economy
- Clubs, grassroots esports, and participation
- Cities, tourism, and esports as event destinations
- Policy, international development, and esports ecosystems
Work that crosses the strands is particularly welcome. If your contribution fits none of them, choose the closest one; the Scientific Committee places every accepted presentation in the session where it fits best.
Contribution formats
| Format | What it is | Submit |
|---|---|---|
| Presentation, in person | 15-minute presentation plus 5 minutes of discussion in a themed parallel session. | Abstract (template A) via the online form |
| Presentation, online | Pre-recorded video presentation of up to 15 minutes, published on the ERN YouTube channel and listed in the program. For authors who cannot travel. If accepted, conference registration is required. | Abstract (template A) via the online form |
| Poster | Displayed during the poster session on Wednesday 10 November, with the author present. | Abstract (template A) via the online form |
| Panel | A 30 to 60-minute moderated discussion with three to five confirmed panellists. | Panel proposal (template B) by e-mail |
| Pre-conference workshop | A half-day hands-on session on Monday 8 November for 20 to 30 participants, for example a doctoral workshop or a methods workshop. | Workshop proposal (template B) by e-mail |
Abstract requirements
Abstracts that do not follow these requirements will not be accepted.
- Length: at most 500 words, including references.
- Language: English.
- Structure: the six headings Introduction, Purpose, Methods, Results, Practical Implications, and Conclusion. Work in progress may report anticipated results; conceptual papers use Methods for the approach and Results for the argument.
- Keywords: three to five.
- References: in-text citations that match a short reference list (APA 7th edition).
- Fit: the abstract makes its contribution to esports explicit. Work on games or gamification in general belongs at other venues unless the link to esports is clear.
How to submit
- Presentations and posters: prepare the abstract in the ERNC27 abstract template (template A) and submit it through the online submission form. The form asks for the same fields as the template, including your strand, your preferred format, and any days on which you cannot present.
- Panels and workshops: complete the proposal form (template B) and send it to ernc@esportsresearch.net.
- Templates: Abstract template A (Word) · Panel and workshop proposal form B (Word)
Review and publication
Every abstract is peer-reviewed by the ERNC27 Scientific Committee. The outcome is one of three: (1) acceptance; (2) acceptance subject to revisions, which authors must make within two weeks; or (3) rejection, in some cases with an invitation to revise and resubmit. Accepted abstracts are published in the ERNC27 Book of Abstracts on the ERN website.
Key dates
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Monday 2 November 2026 | Call for Abstracts published; submissions open |
| Monday 4 January 2027 | Deadline for presentation and poster abstracts, panel proposals, and workshop proposals |
| Monday 15 March 2027 | Decisions sent to the corresponding author |
| Wednesday 31 March 2027 | Revised abstracts due (where revisions were requested) |
| Saturday 3 April 2027 | Conference registration opens |
| Wednesday 1 September 2027 | Presenter registration deadline: at least one author of every contribution registered. Contributions without a registrant are removed from the conference schedule and the Book of Abstracts. |
| Friday 15 October 2027 | Final program and Book of Abstracts; pre-recorded videos due |
| Monday 8 November 2027 | Pre-conference workshops (afternoon) |
| Tuesday 9 to Thursday 11 November 2027 | Conference |
Presenting at ERNC27
- Registration. At least one author of every accepted contribution must register by 1 September 2027. Contributions without a registered author are removed from the program and the Book of Abstracts.
- Scheduling constraints. Please tell us at submission if you cannot present on a particular day. Constraints we receive later can only be met where the schedule allows.
- Open knowledge. In line with ERN practice, plenary sessions are streamed on the ERN Twitch channel and recordings are uploaded to the ERN YouTube channel. Online presentations are published there as well.
- Code of Conduct. ERNC27 follows the ERN Code of Conduct, including its rule on presenters who neither present nor withdraw.
Venue, travel, and visas
ERNC27 takes place in the Hunt Library on NC State University’s Centennial Campus in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) is the nearest airport. Hotels with conference rates will be announced with the opening of registration.
Participants who need a U.S. visa should plan early, as visa appointments can take several months. Accepted authors can request a letter of invitation from the conference team as soon as they receive their decision. Should you need assistance with the visa process, please write to the organising team as soon as possible at ernc@esportsresearch.net so we can coordinate support with our partners at Visit Raleigh.
Registration and fees
Registration is handled by NC State University. Fees, including a reduced student rate, will be announced when registration opens.
Committees
Conference Co-Chairs: Seth E. Jenny (Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania), Amanda C. Cote (Michigan State University), Tobias M. Scholz (University of Agder)
Organizing Committee: Marc Hoit, Nathan Williams, David Goldsmith, Ben Watson, Robin Kelly, and Cody Elsen (NC State University); Ed Tomasi and Loren Gold (Visit Raleigh)
Scientific Committee: Nicolas Besombes, Tom Brock, Amanda C. Cote, Joanne Donoghue, Seth E. Jenny, Yaewon Jin, Brian McCauley, and Tobias M. Scholz (ERN Board); Oliver Leis (ERN Ombudsperson); Nathan Williams and Ben Watson (NC State University)