Exploring immersion and presence in esports livestreaming: the role of streamer attributes and interaction design

Esports livestreaming is moving from largely observational viewing to more interactive, socio-technical formats in which viewers encounter both human (streamer) and system-level (interface) cues. The study introduces the Streamer Interface Coactive Presence (SICP) model, viewing esports livestreaming as a combined system of streamer cues and interface features. Using a configurable prototype and a 2 × 3 online experiment (N = 312), it manipulated streamer credibility, skill and warmth alongside varying levels of interaction richness. PLS-SEM results show that richer interfaces amplify the influence of streamer warmth and skill on immersion, which then drives presence. Credibility more directly predicts presence, especially when overlays highlight viewer activity and reduce cognitive effort. Taken together, the SICP model suggests that immersion and presence in esports livestreams may be shaped not only by content and streamer qualities but also by deliberate configuration of the interaction layer, which may be useful for platforms seeking to optimise viewer experience.

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