Affective and behavioral modulations under contrasting social climates
Toxicity vs. Support in cooperative Esports paradigms
Title (eng)
Affective and behavioral modulations under contrasting social climates
Toxicity vs. Support in cooperative Esports paradigms
Description (eng)
This research examines how supportive, toxic, and neutral social interaction styles influence player performance, motivation, and sense of belonging in competitive esports. Twenty-seven participants completed three five-minute rounds under systematically varied team climates using a within-subjects design. Unknown to participants, teammates were trained confederates enacting one of three behaviors: supportive (encouraging through in-game help and positive chat), toxic (withholding cooperation and criticizing), or neutral (functionally cooperative yet emotionally detached). Condition order was randomized. After each round, participants rated belonging, motivation, fairness, enjoyment, frustration, and competitiveness. Results showed that performance peaked under supportive conditions, followed by toxic, and was lowest in neutral play. Motivation was strongest in supportive and neutral settings, while toxicity increased competitiveness and frustration but lowered engagement. Sense of belonging and cooperative success were highest in supportive contexts and significantly differed across all conditions (p < .05).
Keywords (eng)
esportssocial climateplayer motivationemotional engagementteam dynamics
Type (eng)
Language
[eng]
Persistent identifier
Is in series
Title (deu)
ESPORTS - Esports Professions and Opportunities: Ressources and Training for Success
Issued
2026
Publication
University of Krems Press
Date issued
2026-02-26
License
- Cite as
Persistent identifier
https://door.donau-uni.ac.at/o:6063 - Other links and identifiers
- Content
- RightsLicense
- Details
- Usage statistics--
- This object is in collection
- Metadata
- Export formats