On May 21st, Mr. Chomiac de Sas had the pleasure of speaking at the UFR STAPS (Faculty of Sports Sciences) as part of a training session dedicated to esports law and video game competitions. Alongside Julien Lombard and Nicolas Besombes, the session focused on presenting the legal framework applicable to video game competitions and addressing contemporary issues in the sector: player health, the relationship between traditional sports and esports, inclusivity within the industry, etc.
Inter-university diploma in Esports
The Inter-University Diploma (DIU) in esports offered by the UFR STAPS (Faculty of Sports Sciences) is part of a professionalization initiative for those involved in the esports sector. This program aims to train specialists capable of managing, organizing, and developing projects in the field of esports, drawing on skills from sports science and sports management. The training, generally accessible to both students and professionals seeking career changes, combines theoretical instruction (management, event organization, legal and economic aspects of esports) with practical experience, often in collaboration with industry partners. It addresses the growing demand for structure and professionalization within the esports sector, offering career opportunities in coaching, managing organizations, and organizing competitions.
A professional training program in the esports sector
The inter-university diploma is designed for future professionals from a variety of fields: sports and esports medicine, nutrition specialists, experts in influencer marketing and other related sectors.
The overall program includes over 140 hours of training dedicated to the esports sector, focusing on management issues within esports teams, athlete health, and the challenges related to their performance.
The esports law course is part of a training program dedicated to the cultural aspects of esports, which includes presentations on the history of esports, its ecosystem, the sociology of esports athletes, governance and public policy, and the economics of esports.
A significant added value is that the courses are taught by industry professionals, the vast majority of whom work or are involved with professional esports organizations such as Karmine Corp, Vitality, G2, and Nove Perform.
Esports law: how the law regulates video game competitions
The training session led by Ms. Chomiac de Sas and Mr. Lombard focused on presenting the development of the legal framework applicable to esports as a form of video game competition, and the classification of the various applicable rights.
It addressed the challenges related to establishing its own independent legal regime and the legal obligations implemented for organizing esports events and the social protection afforded to players, as well as the creation of a professional esports player employment contract.
To provide a practical approach, the training then focused on presenting the specific legal issues and challenges applicable to the various professions within the core esports ecosystem: video game publishers, players and clubs, event organizers, competition broadcasters, and support and peripheral professions.
Esports issues & legal perspectives
The training program for professionals in the sector focused on presenting a variety of themes and reflections on current esports practices and the legal issues they may raise:
- The place of women in esports and the structuring of all-female leagues within a historically mixed ecosystem that still suffers from numerous inequalities;
- The cybersecurity needs of video game competitions in the face of cyberattacks aimed at penalizing events or the outcome of matches;
- The growing involvement of the International Olympic Committee in offering sports simulation competitions alongside or in conjunction with the Olympic Games;
Sport and esports: protecting the health of players
The structure of esports reveals numerous issues related to the safety and health conditions of players. Often overlooked and poorly understood, the risks associated with all activities related to esports in the context of child labor are nonetheless very significant.
Identifying those responsible for measures ensuring their protection is equally complex, involving a mix of employer clubs, event organizers, legal representatives, and game publishers.
Read our article.
Esports and Esportainment: Performance vs. Entertainment
In contrast to traditional video game consumption, esports, as an electronic sport, has focused on the pursuit of performance. Like traditional sports, high-level esports competitions involve professional players striving for excellence and self-improvement within the established sporting values.
Alongside this competitive dimension, esportainment is emerging as a trend where entertainment and spectacle take precedence. Here, the focus is no longer solely on athletic performance, but also on the ability to offer a captivating show, attracting a broad audience, sometimes less familiar with the sport, often with scripted events or enhanced with additional animations.
The strength of esportainment lies particularly in the wider audience it can reach by emphasizing the spectator experience, interactivity, and a user-friendly atmosphere, at the crossroads of sport and digital entertainment.
Differences in Organization and Structure. Performance-focused events are organized according to a rigorous and hierarchical logic: qualifications, regional leagues, international tournaments, with strict rules, high sporting stakes, and an organization similar to that of traditional sports federations. Emphasis is placed on fairness, transparency, team management, and compliance with regulations.
Esportainment, on the other hand, adopts a more flexible, entertainment-oriented structure. Events can incorporate original formats, celebrity guests, stage or musical performances, and prioritize storytelling and accessibility. The goal is to offer an immersive and entertaining experience, sometimes at the expense of pure competition. The structure is therefore less hierarchical, more event-driven, and requires skills in communication, audience management, and content creation.
Economic Impact and Audiences. By focusing on entertainment and spectacle, esportainment attracts a larger and more diverse audience than the traditional esports audience. This massive audience fosters the emergence of new economic models based on influence, content, and interactivity, and attracts advertisers from the broader entertainment sector. The monetization potential is therefore high, and the complementarity between performance and entertainment allows esports to establish itself as a major player in the digital entertainment economy.
Will/would esports be a sport?
Esports, as a form of video game competition, has developed by mimicking the organization of the traditional sports sector. However, legislators have refused to apply sports law to it, citing two key differences: firstly, the video game itself, which serves as the platform for competition, is closer to an audiovisual cultural product than a sporting one; and secondly, its exploitation rights are strictly regulated by intellectual property rights belonging to the creators.
Moreover, as an interactive cultural tool, video games have converged with sports in various and even intriguing ways: sports-themed video games, more or less realistic simulators, video games that allow players to perform sporting actions, and so on.
Despite the legal obstacles that could restrict or prohibit it, the esports sector continues its steady growth, comparable to that of certain traditional sports.
