EsportsAble - Helping adolescents to participate, contribute and thrive in esports
Ethics Approval Number: 9900-HE09

Who is responsible for this project?

Principal Researcher: Professor Byron Keating, QUT Business School

Associate Researcher(s):

Professor Amanda Beatson, QUT Business School

Professor Marilyn Campbell, School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education,

Dr Tristan Coulter, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences,

Dr Shasha Wang, QUT Business School

Dr Thilini Alahakoon, QUT Business School 

Why is the research being conducted?

Esports is one of the world’s fastest growing sports, but there is still so much that we don’t know about what contributes to a safe, respectful, and inclusive esports communities.  Attention is focused in this project on encouraging the next generation of esports athletes, with the research aimed at helping us better understand how to make esports inviting for all adolescents to participate, contribute and thrive, particularly youth who live in the regional areas of Queensland. 

Specifically, we will gather feedback from adolescent participants in the EsportsAble Academy and local esports tournaments to help us improve the safety, respect, and inclusiveness of all project activities.

Who will participate in the research and what will it involve?

The research will involve members of the EsportsAble Academy. Participation will involve completion of a 5-10 minute online survey upon joining the Academy, after attendance in a local esports tournament, and about a month after the tournament.

Some questions will asked about how participants have been feeling, like if you’ve felt calm or happy. That’s because we want to make sure that the EsportsAble activities provide a space where young people feel positive and supported. Other questions will look at how confident and motivated participants feel (e.g., do you feel like you’re doing well and moving toward your goals?), how they handle stress or challenges (e.g., I was nervous that I might mess up and embarrass myself), and how connected they feel to others (e.g., I feel like I fit in). These things are important in esports too — because teamwork, confidence, and staying cool under pressure can help everyone have a better experience. We will also ask a few questions about participant background (like your age or where they live) to make sure we’re hearing from all kinds of young people across Queensland.

Please note: Participation in the research is entirely voluntary. Even if someone does agree to participate, they can withdraw from the research at any time without comment or penalty. However, due to legislative requirements we must retain any data we collect. Any decision to participate or not participate will in no way impact upon your current or future relationship with QUT or the EsportsAble Academy.  

What are the possible benefits for participating?

The main benefit is to society, more broadly. Feedback gathered will help to make esports in Australia safer, respectful, and inclusive.

While no monetary benefit will be provided to those who participate in the research, they will receive 50 XP and 20 AP to help level-up within the EsportsAble Academy and access additional training and access to one-on-one coaching (and they get to keep these even if they withdraw from the research).

The outcomes of the research, may also benefit them indirectly by helping to improve the EsportsAble Academy and your local esports community.

A summary of the outcomes of the research will be provided on the EsportsAble website in the middle of 2026. All Academy members and their parents will receive an email advising them how to access this summary once available.

What are the possible risks associated with participation?

The expected risks associated with participation in this research are minimal, beyond taking time away from other things the participants might have chosen to do.  We will manage this risk by ensuring that the duration of the surveys are kept to a minimum. However, there are some other potential risks that we would like to highlight, along with the strategies we have in place to address them.

POTENTIAL RISKS

1. Psychological Harm: Participation in esports can sometimes lead to negative psychological effects, especially for adolescents who may be vulnerable to stress, anxiety, or bullying, both in the gaming environment and offline. These risks can include: (a) Cyberbullying or exclusion within the esports community; and (b) Increased anxiety or stress from competitive gameplay or negative social interactions during or after events.

2. Privacy and Data Security: Collecting data from minors, particularly when it includes sensitive information such as personal contact details, gaming history, and social inclusion, requires robust data protection measures to mitigate the risk of data breaches or misuse.

3. Informed Consent: Given that participants are minors, ensuring that they understand the implications of their participation, as well as the rules and code of conduct, is critical. While we have confidence that the participants will be able to assess and evaluate the risks associated with participation, there remains the risk that they may not fully understand the consent process, which may lead to non-voluntary participation or misunderstanding of their rights.

4. Physical Risks: Although the project primarily involves online participation, there is still a risk of physical strain due to prolonged gaming, such as eye strain, poor posture, or carpal tunnel syndrome. These risks are typically less severe but should still be acknowledged.

RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

1. Monitoring and Moderation: The EsportsAble Academy’s platform will use automated and human moderation to minimize the risks of harassment, bullying, or discriminatory behaviour. By enforcing a strict code of conduct (see attachment), participants who engage in inappropriate behaviour will face penalties, including content restriction or exclusion from the community. Our child safety policy has been attached for reference.

2. Psychological Support: Participants will be advised that they can withdraw at anytime, and we will pause all activities and direct a participant to appropriate support services if we observe psychological distress. QUT provides access to counseling services for research participants. Headspace has also been involved in the co-design workshops that informed the design of the Academy and event management model. They will also have staff present (or on-call) during each local event in the unlikely event that participants experience stress, anxiety, or bullying during the research. These strategies will ensure they have support should the research experience become overwhelming.

3. Data Protection: Use secure platforms and anonymise any personal data collected from participants to mitigate privacy risks. Ensure compliance with the Privacy Act 1988. Our data privacy policy has been attached for reference.

4. Clear Consent Process: The project will have a clear and robust consent process that includes both parental consent and adolescent consent. Consent forms will be age-appropriate and provide all necessary details regarding the research procedures and risks. The process will be explained through clear language and visual aids.

5. Physical Health Monitoring: Ensure that the esports events and online sessions are structured to avoid long periods of continuous play, with regular breaks and ergonomic guidance for participants. A QUT staff member with first aid qualifications will be in attendance at each event to provide additional support in the unlikely event of a physical health incident.

FREE COUNSELLING SUPPORT

QUT provides for limited free psychology, family therapy or counselling services for research participants of QUT research projects who may experience discomfort or distress as a result of their participation in the research. Should someone wish to access this service, they can do so by calling the Clinic Receptionist on 07 3138 0999 (Monday–Friday only 9am–5pm), QUT Psychology and Counselling Clinic, 44 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, and indicating that they were a research participant in this project. Alternatively, Lifeline provides access to online, phone or face-to-face support that can be accessed by calling 13 11 14, and 24 hour telephone crisis support is also available from Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.

We can also connect participants directly to their local Headspace if they experience discomfort or stress during one of the esports tournaments. Headspace is a partner and will be in attendance at the local tournaments. They are contracted by the Australian government to provide mental health services exclusively for youth and adolescents.

What about privacy and confidentiality?

Personal information provided as part of the registration process for the EsportsAble Academy will be used to identify potential participants in the research, however, this information is kept separate from your survey responses. We create a participant code (e.g., a number) from this information to protect the identity of participants.  However, this does mean that it is possible for us to re-identify them, which we need to do when we invite them to complete follow-up surveys The identifying information will only be accessible to the research team and the privacy and confidentiality of participants will be managed by storing the code document and the personal information in separate locations. 

Any data collected as part of this research project will be stored securely as per QUT’s Management of research data policy. Data will be stored in perpetuity because it involves young people and must be available to be disclosed if it is to protect them or others from harm.

The research will also make use of operational data collected in the EsportsAble Academy and event management systems on content accessed and activities undertaken to help us understand how different levels of engagement impact perceptions and attitudes regarding safety, respect, and inclusion. This information may include screen capture and audio recordings of gameplay:

·        This data will not be used for any other purpose than what is described in this Information Statement.

·        Only the named researchers will have access to this data.

·        It is not possible to participate in the research project without this data being recorded.

Every effort will be made to ensure that data captured as part of this research cannot be traced back to any individual, and reports, publications and other forms of reporting (e.g., presentations) we will only include de-identified or summary data.

The research project is funded by the Department of Social Services, and we have regular reporting obligations to them. However, they will not have access to any personally identifying information obtained during the project.

Who is required to give consent?

We will seek consent from both the participant and at least one parent/guardian. Parent/guardian consent is obtained as a necessary requirement for their child to participate in the EsportsAble Academy activities (including research activities). In providing this consent, we explicitly ask parents to acknowledge that their child is capable of providing informed, independent consent regarding research-related activities.

For adolescent participants, we then ask them to provide consent for each research activity by agreeing to a question in the survey that asks them to confirm that they: (a) have read and understood the Research Information Statement and the requirements of the research; and (b) voluntarily choose to participate in the research activity.  

What if I you have further questions about the research project?

If you have any questions or require further information about any aspect of the EsportsAble Academy or research-related activities, we encourage you to please contact the Principal Researcher:

Professor Byron Keating       esportsable@qut.edu.au          07  3138  2274

What if I have a concern or complaint regarding the conduct of the research project?

QUT is committed to research integrity and the ethical conduct of research projects.  If you wish to discuss the study with someone not directly involved, particularly in relation to matters concerning policies, information or complaints about the conduct of the study or your rights as a participant, you may contact the QUT Research Ethics Advisory Team on 07 3138 5123 or email humanethics@qut.edu.au.

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