Esports expanding participation

An opportunity to give your best, a way to learn useful skills, and a world worth capturing closely to better convey the connection between technology and people: stories of those who find in esports a new definition of their performance

Performance isn’t necessarily about winning, nor is it subject to others’ judgement, or a source of anxiety. According to Christian Peron, performance is commitment, grit, feeling part of the game, being able to compete. Winning? Not necessarily. He cares, but at the end of the match, regardless of the score, he always asks himself: «Did I really try my hardest??» It’s a question he asks himself because, ultimately, he isn’t too fussed about others’ opinions.

«I used to take criticism very personally, but now, if it’s expressed kindly, I accept it, because for me, it’s all about knowing that I have given my best» he explains, his voice vibrant with the passion he has for competition. A passion he’s always had, but which he couldn’t pursue for a long time due to his disability. Now, for the past two years, since he entered the world of esports, Peron experiences genuine joy whenever he logs in, joins a team, plays just like anyone else, and jokes around with his teammates.

The score matters, but «it’s not the measure of my performance in electronic football, my all-time favourite sport», he confesses. «With esports (a contraction of “electronic sports”, which refers to professional gaming as real athletes do), I can finally express the competitive drive that’s been pulsing inside me.

My performance is about training as hard as I can to do something that makes me feel good».

For Peron, the concept of performance changes shape, but not strength; in fact, it gains even more, transforming from a mere score or sterile effort into a symbol of opportunity.

The anti-anxiety bubble

But it has not always been this way: with determination, persistence, and courage, Peron has redefined performance for himself, freeing it from a narrow definition. «During my first match in Serie D (the highest level of semi-professional football in Italy, the fourth tier of the Italian league system), I was extremely nervous, paralysed by the fear of playing poorly», he recalls. «I overcame the anxiety thanks to advice from a mental coach, which still comes back to me today in the most critical moments: “Enclose yourself in a bubble and focus solely on what’s happening on the field. Everything else has to stay outside”. It may sound simple, but in certain moments, that’s what I repeat to myself to do my best».

For Peron, setting short-, medium-, and long-term goals has also been crucial, as it allows him to map out «a path that makes me more confident and focused on gaming, school, and social relationships», he explains. «I win more often, but I have grown overall». An important step for a young boy with his whole life ahead of him, triggered by chance—a fortunate encounter with a Twitch streamer who introduced him to a world in which Peron has since found new relationships, supported also by his family, especially his uncle. «He’s my number one fan, along with a friend who had to quit and wants me to keep going» he says. «I train at least 4 or 5 hours; some train for 8 or 9: to play well, a lot of dedication is required. It’s true that for people with disabilities, esports offer an opportunity, but not an automatic one».

Learning life skills through gaming

The emotional waves created by Peron echo within the activities of the ASPHI Foundation. From a different perspective but with the same passion, this non-profit organisation has been studying and experimenting with assistive technologies since 2015 to make esports accessible and inclusive for children, young people, and adults with disabilities. «They can offer extraordinary opportunities to mitigate motor, sensory, or cognitive limitations and allow everyone to compete on equal terms», says Nicola Gencarelli. Since last year, a dedicated community has been active, where healthcare workers, families, and over 90 people with motor, cognitive, and sensory disabilities share ideas and insights to create increasingly accessible and inclusive gaming experiences.

«Video games thus become a useful and innovative tool», Gencarelli explains, «an open “playground” for everyone and, above all, a powerful driver for learning, participation, and personal fulfilment.»

It is not exactly sport, but it is a lot to do with performance, giving children with disabilities new horizons by engaging in esports, helping them learn or refine digital and assistive technology skills crucial for their future. An example?  Eye-gaze tools, which track eye movements and enable people with severe motor disabilities to communicate and, if desired, control smart home systems.

With the typical commitment of someone who wants to grow, concentrating on the here and now like Peron, one can carve out a space of opportunity that offers greater freedom of choice. In this context, new technologies overcome inequality and prejudice: they perform well too and, according to ASPHI, will only get better in the future. «Artificial intelligence and augmented reality will further enhance accessibility and participation» predicts Gencarelli. The foundation’s main mission is also to disconnect the concept of performance from the achievement of extraordinary results or physical and mental excellence, to make it «more closely aligned with daily life and rooted in human experience, an alternation of emptiness and fullness, pauses and restarts, accelerations and decelerations, strength and fragility» explains Gencarelli.

«The current interpretation of performance, however, suggests an ableism that excludes or diminishes those who cannot reach these levels».

«This also happens in the Paralympics: the exceptional nature of disabled athletes and their “incredible feats” are exalted, their efforts and resilience exploited to stir emotions in the non-disabled audience, fostering prejudice against disabled people who don’t become athletes or don’t “apply themselves” to become heroes. Those who don’t make it are somehow seen as failures and unworthy of attention».

A different perspective on performance

For many athletes, with or without disabilities, performance is not just about competitive results but also the desire to be part of an activity and a shared mindset, a healthy longing for participation, belonging, and freedom. This happens more often than it seems, but noticing it requires a shift in perspective that’s neither simple nor straightforward. Those who tell the story of the sporting world through images can encourage this, or at least suggest it, by changing the perspective and challenging the more common and widespread idea of performance.

Jacopo Scarabelli tries to do just this with his photography, capturing esports in a unique and personal way. Even those who do not like or understand this “geeky” world are fascinated and intrigued when looking at it through the eyes of this photographer, who describes it as virtual photography.

«In a competition, a player tries as hard as they can, but the human factor must always be considered, especially at a psychological level, which is what I aim to capture, even though esports have a strong digital component» Scarabelli explains.

«It’s similar in photography: the human element still prevails, despite the technological aspect»

To communicate a new idea of performance «through images», Scarabelli goes beyond sporting action—«the most obvious shot to take»—and circles the subject to photograph them from more personal angles or capture their surroundings, «to encourage meaningful reflections and offer a different narrative». He has chosen not to follow the track but to carve out his own, visiting gamers in their homes and photographing them in their daily lives.

Capturing these athletes’ performances in a unique and authentic way means pushing his own skills as a photographer to the limit: it takes time and effort, but first and foremost, the awareness and strength to choose one’s own measure, even if it differs from the conventionally accepted standard. Determinedly, Scarabelli is working to counteract a «lack of visual education, which is needed because it would help us reflect more comprehensively on the world around us». He explains: «I decided to pursue subjects such as gaming for this reason: it’s a world that tells of a society in an identity crisis and unaware of how it uses the web and social media».

When asked if he noticed any differences when photographing esports players with and without disabilities, he replies “no” and explains why. «Here, a player is represented by an avatar that doesn’t reflect the player’s disability. Everyone’s on the same level». Hence, his photography, which he describes as «entirely candid and spontaneous», can perform at its best here. Here, Scarabelli feels «free to tell the story without focusing on judgement, encouraging reflection where it’s needed. In esports, there are still many barriers to break down, and as a photographer, I want to portray them in all their facets, highlighting the human side, free from prejudice». Prejudices about winning at any cost for the players and about victory in every shot for those behind the camera.

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