Çevrimiçi Dönüşümün Mesleki Tezahürü: E-Spor Faaliyetleriyle “Dijital Oyuncular Kuşağı”
Burcu Kaya Erdem, Rukiye Civan KemiksizBu çalışma, Y ve Z kuşağının çevrimiçi oyunlarla olan (bağımlılık) ilişkiselliğini sorgulamak suretiyle, yeni bir kariyer fırsatı olarak ortaya çıkan e-spor olgusu ile belirginleşen yeni bir mesleki tezahürü betimleme ve tartışmaya açma amacına yönelik olarak kaleme alınmıştır. Çalışmada; teknolojinin toplumsal bağlamı, kuşakların gelişen teknoloji karşısındaki değişimi, dijital kültürün özellikleri, oyun kavramının ontolojisi, dijital oyunların tarihi seyrinin yanı sıra Y ve Z kuşağının meslek seçimlerine etki edecek özellikleri üzerinden, e-spor faaliyeti olarak dijital oyunculuğun ortaya çıkışı tartışılacaktır. Çalışma, Türkiye’de e-sporla özdeşleşmiş olan League of Legends oyunun oyuncularından seçilen 1375 kişilik örnekleme Yoklama Tekniği ile uygulanmıştır. Çalışmanın amacına uygun olarak, ortaya konulan “Kariyer Faktörü”nü belirleyen yaş, oyun süresi, eğitim düzeyi, ekonomik beklentiler gibi değişkenleri somut hale getirmesi beklenmektedir. Söz konusu değişkenler, yeni kuşağın çevrimiçi kaynaklı meslekleri dolayısıyla tercihlerini kavramamız açısından önemli ipuçları sağlayabilir. Araştırmanın örneklemini oluşturan Y ve Z kuşağına mensup gençler, bu çalışmanın başlığında yer aldığı üzere “dijital oyuncular kuşağı” olarak adlandırılabilir.
The Reveal of Professions Being Revolutionized Into Online Careers: E-Sport Activities With “Generation of Digital Gamers”
Burcu Kaya Erdem, Rukiye Civan KemiksizIn this study, the question of the relationship between the Y and Z generations with online games (addiction) has been written for the purpose of describing and opening up a new professional manifestation that is evident with the phenomenon of e-sports emerging as a new career opportunity. In this study, the social context of technology, the change of generations against developing technology, the characteristics of digital culture, the ontology of the concept of game, the history of digital games, as well as the characteristics of generation Y and Z that affect the choice of profession, the emergence of digital acting as an e-sports activity will be discussed. In this study, a polling technique was applied to a representative sample of 1375 League of Legend game players, which is identified as e-sports in Turkey. In line with the aim of the study, it is expected that the variables such as age, duration of play, education level, and economic expectations, determine the “Career Factors”. These variables can provide important clues to our understanding of the preferences of the new generation due to their online-based professions. The Y and Z Generation which constitute the sample of the study can be called as “generation of digital gamer” as mentioned in the title of this study.
This study is based on the assumption that there may be a relationship between the fields, levels of interest, addiction of each generation, their professional choices, and career goals. Although it is not possible to fully predict the achieved results, the subject of the professional transformations of the current period is the generation Y and Z and the source of motion is digital culture. Therefore, in the digital age, new methods like Exploratory Factor Analysis aimed at identifying elements in which generation Y and Z relate interest, commitment, and addiction, can provide us with scientific data on new career goals and new professions.
The concept of digital culture inevitably transforms our modes of production, other systems, daily life routines, educational content, politics, entertainment, and most importantly, professions, as a reflection of the transformation that expresses the current age. As an important issue discussed, it is thought that the professions of children at primary and/or secondary level are not yet clear because they have not yet emerged. It is foreseen that professions such as doctors, lawyers and teachers who are respected in society will be transferred to artificial intelligence. The fact that the communication and the entertainment industry is a rising trend plays an important role in the transformation and preferences of the generations. While being a player in the traditional sense is a general indicator of status, it is possible to see its reflection in digital culture in e-sports activities. Having everyone with basic equipment such as computers as candidates for e-sport players as a career opportunity and having an annual income flow exceeding 1 billion dollars, in this sense, institutionalization and the fact that the mass is pointed out by both the active player and the audience shows that the studies in this field will increase.
A radical transformation is documented in the determination of the social position of the individual and in occupations as a result of technological determinism. In addition to the replacement of human labor by machines, the perceptual relationship of the Y and Z generations with life and occupations weakens the adoption of work as a profession and identification with the profession. Even with these generations, which can perform more than one job at the same time, occupations that are temporary have high expectations for career-gain in the future. This transformation is beyond the transformations of the new capitalism, which has already radically transformed working life and professions. In the labor market, which is symbolized as flexible and fluid, it is now possible for workers to take part in the labor market with multiple or mobilized jobs. However, beyond the aforementioned developments that emerged under the influence of new capitalism in the professional transformations and occupational choices of our age, the most important factor that minimizes job satisfaction and/or professional excitement is the generational system that determines the limits of the perceptual relationship established by the individual with life and occupations. For this reason, it will not be healthy enough to read the transformation of the occupations of the current period, career goals of the generation that constitutes the dominant labor force of this period (which is the generation Y and Z), professional execution styles, interests, dominant values, target social positions, and dependencies.
Based on this acceptance, “Exploratory Factor Analysis” has been used as a method of quantitative analysis. In Turkey, every day, three million people play the stated League of Legends and 1375 people as samples for “Career Factor Analysis” results provide us with these, and similar results that can be discussed in the context of the generic system to be transmitted throughout the article:
As a result of the tests conducted for the analysis of career factor, the average age of the participants decreased, the average daily playing time increased, the level of education decreased, online games were seen as professional work; e-sports as a career goal, and online games were seen as a means of economic profit. Participants over the age of 30 differentiate into the point of seeing e-sport as a career goal and a means of economic profit. At the educational level, graduate students see e-sport as a career goal. In addition, those who have 7-9 years of experience and participate in international tournaments see more online games as professional work, e-sports as a career goal, and online games as a means of economic profit. Their time and participation in tournaments are indicative of their professional progress in this field. They play without interrupting their basic needs, which increases their play records. They see online games as professional work and e-sports as a career goal. For those who choose this career goal for themselves, the most meaningful name in this study is “generation of digital gamer” - internalizing the game at the level of part of evolution.
