This article is a research. The topic of e-sports in the Russian Federation and around the world has become relevant because the number of e-sports players is growing, and the e-sports’ market is growing. In 2021, the Russian government adopted initiatives in the eld of organizing e-sports education. This can be seen as a signal from the state to manifest its own initiatives on e-sports topics for universities in our country. On the other hand, this serves as a basis for the support of the Russian government for the development of education in the eld of e-sports. These initiatives were signed by the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation M. V. Mishustin. The analysis of the practice of higher education in Russian universities in the eld of e-sports provides an opportunity to assess the current situation and to make recommendations to the management of the universities. Our analysis shows that there is practically no comprehensive approach to education in the eld of e-sports in Russian universities. This situation can negatively affect not only the training of sports specialists in the eld of e-sports, but also the training of specialists for the digital transformation of the Russian economy and the state. The methodology of our research is the social synergetics. The methodology of social synergetics allows one to analyze e-sports as a testing ground for digital transformation. The purpose of our article is to analyze e-sports in order to identify the characteristics of this sports, the economic and social phenomenon of modern time. From the point of view of higher education in Russia it is important for us to develop and substantiate the main characteristics of e-sports as an object of educational disciplines and formulate recommendations for the development of these disciplines. The novelty consists in the research from the standpoint of the social synergetics of e-sports as a testing ground for digital transformation, that is, the platform on which the directions and technologies of digital transformation of the Russian Federation are formed.