Esports Beyond Gaming: Global Research Trends and Turkey's Scientific Visibility, a Bibliometric Analysis, 2006 - 2026

Öz

Purpose: Esports has evolved from competitive video gaming into a multidisciplinary scientific field, yet Turkey’s contribution and visibility within the global literature remain insufficiently characterized. This study mapped global esports research from 2006–2026 and evaluated Turkey’s WoS-indexed scientific visibility, disciplinary profile, citation impact, institutional productivity, and international collaboration.

Methods: Web of Science Core Collection was searched using a predefined Topic Search strategy restricted to articles and reviews. The global dataset comprised 2,297 records. Turkey-affiliated records were identified using both “Turkey” and “Turkiye”; 82 candidate records underwent manual title and abstract screening, yielding 63 esports-relevant publications. Annual output, research areas, authors, institutions, journals, citation indicators, and collaboration patterns were analyzed using WoS tools.

Results: Global esports research expanded markedly after 2020, with 75.4% of completed-year publications (2006–2026) appearing between 2020 and 2026. Turkey’s validated esports output began in 2020 and rose to 17 publications in 2025; 15 additional publications were indexed in partial-year 2026. Psychology (n=12), Social Sciences (n=11), Computer Science (n=9), Sport Sciences (n=8), and Education (n=6) were the leading Turkish research areas. The Turkey dataset received 271 citations, averaged 4.30 citations per publication, and had an h-index of 11. International collaboration was dispersed, led by the UK, Germany, and Italy.

Conclusion: Turkey has emerged as a growing contributor to esports research, but its citation visibility and sustained international collaboration remain developing. Clearer distinctions between esports and broader gaming research, stronger interdisciplinary designs, and broader database coverage “including TR Dizin and graduate theses” may strengthen future national and international impact