Based on the theory of industry city people and the perspective of configuration, an analytical framework of "industry support city function human orientation" was constructed. Under this framework, five conditional variables were selected: industrial structure, economic function, social function, population quality, and population structure. The top ten cities with good development momentum in China's e-sports industry were selected as the analysis samples, and the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis method was used to explore the combined factors that affect the development of the e-sports industry in cities. The results showed that "industrial structure" is an indispensable condition for the development of the electronic sports industry in cities, while "economic function," "social function," "population quality," and "population structure" are not necessary conditions for constituting outcome variables. This indicates that the development of the e-sports industry in a city is the result of multiple intertwined factors, rather than a single factor playing a significant role. Research has found that there are three paths that can positively affect the development of the e-sports industry in cities, condensed into a dual wheel drive of industrial structure and economic function, a tripartite drive of industrial structure, social function, and population quality, and a co drive of industrial support and humanistic orientation. From the perspective of configuration, industrial structure, economic composition, and population quality are key conditions that affect the development of the e-sports industry in cities. The research conclusion indicates that to enhance the development of urban e-sports cities, it is necessary to reasonably layout the industrial structure, improve the level of urban economic development, and strengthen the comprehensive level of human capital.

Xu Zhang. Research on the Configuration Effect of Electronic Sports Industry in Urban Development. Frontiers in Sport Research (2024) Vol. 6, Issue 5: 80-88. https://doi.org/10.25236/FSR.2024.060513.

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