Author Information
Nur Izzah Anisah binti Ismail, University of Malaya, MalaysiaAbstract
The rapid globalization of digital entertainment has led to the emergence of esports beyond their role as entertainment tools. In the current world, esports have become a hyper-competitive global industry and a critical civic arena where cross-border identities, values and cultural practices intersect. This paper examines South Korea’s highly institutionalized esports ecosystem as one of the mechanisms of interactive digital soft power. This mechanism is designed to cultivate global citizenship, facilitate cross-cultural communication and drive youth engagement. By using qualitative case study of South Korean sports-diplomacy materials, state-backed institutional frameworks and landmark public events, this paper investigates how virtual play is mobilized to shape the perceptions of transnational youth demographics. The paper integrates Joseph Nye’s Soft Power theory with the Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) framework, to answer the main question: “How does South Korea leverage its esports ecosystem as an interactive digital soft power instrument to foster global citizenship?” The paper argues that South Korea’s esports model serves as a participatory digital platform that operationalizes the Contact Hypothesis in virtual spaces. This eventually enables a bottom-up intercultural dialogue, community-building and a shared global vocabulary. Ultimately, this paper demonstrates how digital youth cultures can transcend traditional, physical-centric sports diplomacy, offering a replicable, state-sanctioned blueprint for deploying esports to foster inclusive forms of global citizenship and transnational belonging.
Comments
Powered by WP LinkPress