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Despite the rapid growth of the eSports industry with respect to its economic scale and the demand for eSports players, the career transformation experiences and well-being of eSports athletes have been largely overlooked. This study aims to explore eSports athletes' personal development in terms of career continuity, associated skill transformation, and well-being after retirement. Employing non-participatory observations and semi-structured interviews, we unpack two different pedagogical contexts of retiring eSports athletes: one is "continuity paths" (three transformation options and associated skill sets), and the other is "desire for continuity" (psychological strengths and explicit tacit knowledge). Our findings provide practical guidance for the career transition experiences of eSports athletes and contribute to understanding the sustainable framework required for the self-development of talent within eSports education and the eSports industry. The findings suggest that psychological consultants and athletic rehabilitation therapists should be employed to provide professional advice, interventions, and treatment to eSports athletes before and after retirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Live streaming is an essential means through which spectators view and engage with esports. In this study, an extended model is proposed and tested based on the expectation confirmation theory to examine esports fans' live streaming experience and the factors contributing to their intention to continue using particular live streaming platforms. Survey data (N = 1004) were collected from King Pro League fans in China and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results demonstrate that effort and enjoyment expectancies are important factors driving fans' confirmation of expectations regarding live streaming services. The findings also confirm that both spatial presence and co-presence positively relate to viewers' satisfaction with a live streaming platform and their continued intention to use it. This study provides new insights into esports fans' viewing practices and the experiences they find most engaging via live streaming platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]