I would like to thank my university, Sam Houston State University, for allowing me the opportunity to focus on research that is important to understanding literacies through a broad brushstroke lens. Gaming, and in particular esports, exists as a rich multimodal practice whereby players engage in multiple literacy practices, including, but not limited to live streaming, vodcasting, shoutcasting, and color commentating, in addition to playing the game. I am grateful for the opportunities provided to me through Sam Houston State University, that have allowed me to study this topic in-depth.
I want to thank my acquisitions editors, Evelien van der Veer and Athina Dimitrou, for their enthusiasm about the text and their encouragement at every step of the process, as well as Jolanda Karada, for her tireless work during the publication stage of this book. Additionally, I want to thank Sandra Schamroth Abrams, co-editor of the Gaming Ecologies and Pedagogies Series, and dear friend, of which this book serves as a volume for the series. I am ever grateful for every conversation that I have had with Sandra along the way, as she has fostered deeper thinking about the topic of esports, gaming, and literacy and throughout the years, she has helped me to expand my own thinking of how literacies spread and reach, dance and mingle, across all facets of our life, melding together the digital and analog.
Additionally, I want to thank each of the contributors of this volume for taking the time to answer the call for proposals and for approaching the topic of literacies within the esports ecosystem with such fresh new perspectives. Each chapter approaches the topic from a unique angle and lens, which also has caused me to stretch my own thinking of how literacies and esports are irrevocably intertwined. I also want to take the time to thank each of the reviewers, who took the time to review the chapters. The double-blind review process is often a thankless task, with little to no recognition, so thank you for your time, dedication, and critical insight.
Lastly, I want to thank the esports team at Sam Houston State University who approached me nine years ago asking me to serve as a faculty sponsor for their club. It’s been a wild ride the last decade, getting to know the ins and outs of esports culture, and I thank you for reaching out to me and including me in your world. You have helped enrich my understanding of gaming and literacy by allowing me to be part of your community, and my knowledge and appreciation has grown by leaps and bounds.