On May 21, Dr. Zhao Yupei was presented, for the second time, with the Top Paper Award by International Communication Association (ICA) for her paper "Identity Transformation, Stigma Power and Mental Wellbeing of eSports Professional Players". Dr. Zhao is a researcher of the Hundred Talents Program and a doctoral advisor at the College of Media and International Culture of Zhejiang University. Last year, she received this award for her research on "Chinese rap culture".

Focusing onexplores the dynamic identity transformation and mental wellbeing development processes of eSports professionals in a risk-prone society. Dr. Zhao mentioned that even though eSports have been officially coined by Chinese government as a professional sport, eSports is perceived as non-secure, casual, and irregular by the Chinese public and that the mental changes experienced by eSports professionals throughout their careers. However, owing to the increasing attractiveness of e-sports to juveniles, scholars should focus more on the industry and promote its healthy development. 

ICA Popular Communication Business Meeting