Paper short abstract:

In this contribution we frame gaming houses (places where groups of professional video game players train and live together for a predetermined period of time) as proper organizational spaces, where gaming practices are molded into working ones, and the figure of the professional player is crafted.

Paper long abstract:

Gaming has reached unprecedented heights nowadays: the gamification of important sectors of daily life introduced gaming among the leading global entertainment industries, and esports gathered incredible cultural and economic value. While media studies approached gaming phenomena mainly from the users’ side, this contribution shifts the focus to a local articulation of professional gaming: gaming houses, places where groups of professional video game players train and live together for a predetermined period of time. Based on a review of various documents (mainly scientific and grey literature, together with online materials) we highlight how gaming houses construct themselves as crucial environments for developing a professional career in competitive gaming thanks to three essential features: their digital infrastructure; their physical and built environment; and their social structure. Through the analysis, we illustrate how these features’ integration allows gaming houses to become proper organizational spaces, where gaming practices are molded into working ones, and the figure of the professional player is crafted.