ESPORTS IN RUSSIA: REGIONAL DIFFERENCES
Тhe article analyzes the history of the formation of eSports, raises the problem of regional differences in the development of eSports in different regions of Russia, presents the data of the study conducted with the help of content analysis of eSports communities in the social network «Vkontakte». Assessment of the level of development of computer sports in selected cities (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd, Krasnoyarsk, Saransk) was carried out by counting the number of e-sports events, determining the format and organization of the competition, the size of the prize fund, the type of game discipline. In the process of content analysis, the following keywords were counted: nouns, adjectives and verbs characterizing the type of e-sports event. The results of the study showed that the main part of e-sports events is held in the cities with higher standard of living. Regional differentiation of both the number of e-sports events held and the availability of suitable places for their implementation has a negative effect on the level of development of computer sports in the country. The analysis showed the formation of the so-called «eSports centers» and «eSports periphery», which in the future may affect the reduction of people's involvement in this sport with a subsequent decrease in both its prevalence and popularity among the population. The authors concluded that it is necessary to support e-sports at the federal level creating conditions for «sports without borders».