| Abstract: |
The current paper aims to analyse the complex array of practices entailed by teams and esports professionals by looking at one of the most peculiar phenome-na of the esports field: gaming houses, i.e., “co-operative living arrangement[s] where several players of video games, usually professional esports players, live in the same residence” [1]. Representing one of the first attempts to assess the role of gaming houses as emerging esports spaces based on new forms of play-bour and production of and by users, the paper comprises an innovative adapta-tion of PRISMA protocol for literature and scoping reviews to shed light on how the technological, material, and social elements are enacted through gaming hous-es' activities, which mirror the ones entailed by digital platforms. In fact, through the three moves of encoding, aggregating and computing users’ interactions [2], gaming houses (re)produce virtual and analogical goods, translating consumer practices and profoundly influencing the broader esports ecosystem. Finally, by framing themselves as ideal hives for pro players, i.e., a prototypical breeding ground for esports professionals, these structures push for new paradigms of work-life balance and users’ production, thus leading to a further reflection on the nature of play and working practices in our contemporary network society [3]. |