In early 2021, “esport dissuasion” emerged as a popular, yet contested, phenomenon in Chinese online media. This service simulates professional esport training’s demanding regimens to discourage gaming addiction, with discourses thereabout reflecting broader social anxieties about youth gaming practices. This study examines these competing discourses through content analysis of Chinese online media sources, including news articles, social media posts, videos, and user comments featured across each. Our analysis reveals how various stakeholders constructed and contested narratives about gaming addiction, youth development, and esport legitimacy within China’s distinctive socio-political context. The findings illuminate: 1) the social construction of moral panic around youth gaming, 2) how public discourse frames high-level esport participation as problematic within prevailing Chinese value systems, and 3) how state and public media align to create a consensus favoring “esport dissuasion” while minimizing critical dissent. This research contributes to understanding how digital gaming regulations and related public discourse reflect broader social anxieties and power dynamics in contemporary China. Beyond its culturally specific empirical focus, this study provides transferable insights for esport practitioners and scholars throughout the globe on key issues such as challenges in regulation and pursuit of legitimacy.
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