Esports and the platforming of child’s play during covid-19

The coronavirus pandemic has significantly restricted children’s opportunities for play and socialisation with friends in physical outside spaces. As a consequence, children’s participation in educational, play and entertainment activities are now predominantly taking place online. One form of online play which has become immensely popular with a young audience, is esports. However, esports and the platforming of play have been associated with public health concerns and excessive commercialisation. This paper will therefore address these issues through the lens of children’s rights, in particular the right to play and the right to protection from exploitation. It will explore whether esports can contribute to the realisation of the right to play and enable other rights such as the right to development, assembly and freedom of expression during covid-19.