Esports/Gaming & Migrant Youth Integration

Sammanfattning

This study explores how participation in esports and online gaming communities influences the integration and sense of belonging of immigrant youth in Sweden. While integration research has traditionally focused on offline institutions such as schools, labour markets, and neighbourhoods, this study shifts attention to digital leisure spaces that play an increasingly central role in young people’s everyday social lives. Using a qualitative research design, the study is based on semi-structured interviews with eleven immigrant youth aged 18–26 who actively participate in online multiplayer gaming communities. The findings show that gaming functions as a meaningful social arena where immigrant youth build relationships, practise language, and experience belonging through shared goals and cooperation. Gaming communities often provide low-threshold access to social participation, particularly during early or difficult phases of integration when offline inclusion is limited. Belonging within these spaces is largely conditional, shaped by competence, contribution, and cooperation rather than ethnic or migration background. At the same time, participants report experiences of exclusion and discrimination, especially in open and anonymous gaming environments, highlighting the limits of inclusion in digital spaces. By applying Acculturation Theory, Social Identity Theory, and a sense of belonging framework, the study demonstrates that gaming communities can function both as bridges and barriers to integration. The study contributes to peace and development studies by highlighting the importance of everyday digital spaces in processes of social cohesion, identity negotiation, and inclusion, and argues for broader integration research that accounts for online social environments alongside offline contexts.