The mind games have already started: An in-depth examination of trash talking in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive esports using practice theory

Trash talking is a contentious and prevalent practice in traditional sports but few studies have examined its practice in esports – a computer-mediated form of sports competition in videogaming. This study used practice theory to identify different forms and dialectical relationships of trash talking in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive . Fifty hours of structured observations of professional tournaments were conducted followed by semi-structured...