Education and esports
The education and academic worlds have started to embrace the benefits that esports can offer young people, and recognise that there are transferable skills learnt while gaming, which can help them succeed in future careers.
This article takes a look at some of the transferable skills and esports education available in the UK, Europe and the US, as an introduction to players and parents.
The article originally appeared in the book Build It Like benjyfishy & MrSavage: The Unofficial Fortnite Esports Guide for Players and Parents, written by Anne Fish and me.
MrSavage’s streaming studio.
Benefits of esports
In 2019 the BBC reported that businesses are waking up to the skills gamers are able to bring to the workplace and there is a growing acceptance that gaming skills are transferable. These skills include:
Teamwork
Leadership
Communication
Multi-tasking
Strategic leadership
Analytical skills
“The gaming industry is larger than films and music combined, yet few of us are likely to put our Fortnite playing achievements on our CVs. But why not? Businesses are waking up to the skills gamers can bring to the workplace.”
Strategic thinking and analytical skills
Being able to analyse and plan your game strategically, as well as being able to re-evaluate in-game when things go wrong, are the key ingredients to achieving the Victory Royale. Both Benjy “benjyfishy” Fish and Martin “MrSavage” Foss Andersen have these skills. Martin is known as being one of the best for strategy and analytical skills, earning him the title of “200IQ”.
Teamwork
Fortnite can be played in solos, duos, trios or squads (four-player teams). When playing in teams each member has specific roles, for example in trios the team is broken down to an In-Game Leader (IGL), Fragger and Support person. During the FNCS Trios in July 2020 Martin and Benjy teamed up with Kevin “Letshe” Fedjuschkin. In their trio, Martin was the IGL and Support, Letshe was the Fragger and Benjy did a little of everything.
Martin, Letshe and Benjy
In-Game Leader (IGL) is the person who fronts the trio. They call the drop-spots, look for enemies, strategise and make the calls within the game.
Fragger is the person who instigates fights to eliminate opponents; they are proactive and take risks to acquire more materials.
Support is the person who scouts for nearby spots for enemies and extra loot. They bring up the rear of the trio, constantly checking behind and guarding flanks.
Multi-tasking, reaction times and dexterity
If you have ever watched anyone play Fortnite you will have seen that the game is very fast paced especially at the end. Players have to be able to react quickly to the changing in-game situation as well as performing multiple tasks in quick succession. Not only do they have to stay calm and make split-second decisions, but also they have to know where the other players are around them, check their inventory status, scout for information, check zone and game status, as well as eliminate other players. All of this happens in a matter of seconds.
Photo credit Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock.com.
Esports education in the UK
Esports business and technology qualification (BTEC)
The British Esports Association has recently partnered with Pearson BTEC to create the world’s first qualification for young people and adult learners seeking a career in our exciting and rapidly expanding industry. Learners can choose to take either a Level 2 or Level 3 National BTEC qualification.
These new BTEC in Esports qualifications are skills-focused and represent a huge boost to the industry by supporting the creation of clearer career pathways in esports both in the UK and internationally.
Photo credit Jack Frog / Shutterstock.com.
As esports continues to boom around the world, demand for people with specific skills such as Public Relations (PR) and Marketing, Shoutcasting and Hosting, Coaching and Production is growing, and these new qualifications developed by Pearson in conjunction with the British Esports Association support those new roles – as well as those wanting to play and grow their career professionally.
Subject units include:
Esports Games, Teams and Tournaments
Establishing an Esports Organisation
Streaming for Esports
Plan for an Esports Event
Start an Enterprise in Esports
Design an Esports Game
Positive Health and Well-being in Esports
Additional units (depending on the course level) include:
Live-Streamed Broadcasting
Producing an Esports Brand
Video Production
Shoutcasting
Coaching
Social Media
Psychology for Esports Performance
Ethical and Current Issues in Esports
Computer Networking
BTEC and international students
An International BTEC Level 3 qualification has been launched in esports, so that educational institutions around the world can offer the qualification to overseas (non-UK) students through remote learning.
The units are designed to provide deep insight into esports and will enable students to develop a wide range of transferable skills and knowledge that can be applied to other careers and sectors including digital and careers within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
This is especially valuable to students in a changing world where job roles are likely to continually change, and the emphasis is increasingly on flexibility, adaptability and transferable skills.
To ensure that the course content meets industry needs and provides high-quality preparation for progression, the partners engaged experts within esports, educators and employers including the University of Chichester, Sheridans and the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF).
For more information go to www.btec.co.uk/esports.
Find out more about the British Esports Association at www.britishesports.org.
Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies (UK)
In September 2020, the Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, which is part of Nottingham Trent University in the UK, launched a new three-year Esports Production degree course.
Confetti is scheduled to open a brand new, multi-million pound, cutting-edge esports and content creation facility, Confetti X, in autumn 2021 for learning the craft, hosting professional esports events and much more.
Esports production - Bachelor of sciences (Honours)
On the course, students study the key aspects of the esports industry, including production and broadcast technology, event management, games analysis, entrepreneurship and emerging technologies.
Their world-class live events complex, Metronome, allows for industry-standard live events production. In their brand new £9.1 million digital media hub, students have access to:
Games studios
Latest industry-standard software packages
Hardware suites focused on research and development in Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Motion Capture
For more information go to www.confetti.ac.uk.
NSE (National Student Esports) British University Esports Championship Winter Finals, held at Confetti. Photo credit Confetti.
Staffordshire University (UK)
In September 2018, Staffordshire University became the first UK university to offer an esports degree course to their students. The Head of Department for Games and Visual Effects, Dr. Bobbie Fletcher, has been facilitating courses in Gaming, at Staffordshire, since 2004.
In 2016, the University accepted a challenge presented by The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (Ukie) in their white paper, ‘Growing the UK as an esports hub’. The report called for an integration of esports into education and in response, both Staffordshire University’s Gaming Department and the Business School collaborated to develop dedicated esports Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Master of Art (MA) degrees.
Esports - Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
The Bachelor of Arts degree focuses on the business and industry of esports, teaching students in practical technical environments. Students learn how to develop both single player and multi-player team events, create business plans, engage with online communities and promote events through digital marketing.
Esports - Master of Arts (Honours)
The Masters degree is designed to develop the research skills needed to work within a growing number of careers and jobs in the esports industry. The focus of the course is on the cultural aspects of esports, influencing policies and practices in the industry and developing a critical awareness of the sociology, legal and political economic landscape.
Esports graduates
After graduation, Staffordshire University students aim to start their careers in various roles in the esports industry, these include:
Broadcasting:
On Air Talent
Technical Management
Team Management
Event production:
Production Crew
Marketing
Branding
Their dedicated esports broadcasting hub is a professional standard studio facility designed to broadcast the live transmission of multi-input, competitive gaming tournaments. It houses dedicated presenter and commentator spaces, in addition to the specialist workstations required to deliver a six vs six competitive action.
For more information go to www.staffs.ac.uk.
Staffordshire University Dedicated Esports Hub. Photo credit Staffordshire University.
Esports education in Europe
There are esports courses offered in other European countries and here is a selection:
Video games and esports management - Bachelor’s and Master’s - Gaming business school (G.BS), France
G.BS is a management school offering both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in video game and esports management.
The course trains students for jobs in the video game industry, and more generally in interactive technological media. Their 1,900m2 gaming campus in the heart of Lyon, France is dedicated to gaming and learning conditions adapted to the video game sector.
For more information go to www.gaming.bs.
Esports management - Bachelor of Arts - Hochschule für Angewandtes Management (HAM), Germany
The bachelor's degree course at HAM consists of a large number of business courses and modules that are geared towards the esports industry. These include athlete management, brand management, market analysis and market forecasting.
For more information visit www.fham.de/studiengaenge/bachelor/esports-management.
Sports and esports management - Bachelor of Business Administration - GBSB Global Business School, Spain
The GBSB Global Business School offers a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Sports and Esports Management. The course is designed to give students the skills and knowledge they need to compete in the sports industry and related businesses and organisations. It combines specialist teaching about the principles and practice of sport management, with general training in management, business administration, strategy and research methods. The bachelor’s degree helps students to develop a deeper understanding of management, governance, and regulatory issues within the business of sports.
For more information go to www.global-business-school.org.
Esports business - Bachelor of Business Administration - Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, Finland
Kajaani University of Applied Sciences (KAMK) offers a bachelor’s degree in Esports Business specialising in Event Management. The program includes field trips to explore esports events, plus students will also have the opportunity to plan and execute esports events locally.
For more information go to www.kamk.fi/en.
Upper secondary schools, folk high schools and the University of Agder, Norway
An increasing number of upper secondary schools (with students aged 16-19) in Norway offer esports as a course within their curriculum. Esports courses feature physical exercise, life skills, diet and the structure of the sport, in addition to skill development in games. Many so-called ‘folk high schools’ provide general education for young adults without granting academic degrees. Some of these schools offer educational paths within esports, covering subjects like team building and video analysis. Additionally some local traditional sports clubs facilitate esports, offering a LAN-like environment for children to socialise both online and “offline”, possibly aiming to bridge the gap between physical sports and esports.
The University of Agder offers a full bachelor's degree in academic esports starting in 2022. It is an international program and will be taught in English. The program will cover things like game design, psychology, physical training, programming and finance. For more information go to www.uia.no/studier/akademisk-e-sport.
Photo credit Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com.
Esports education in the USA
Collegiate and High schools
The USA has seen hundreds of schools launch dedicated esports programmes alongside their traditional soccer and football teams.
Through the support of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) they are able to offer varsity-level high school competition and state championships. Esports, in a similar way to traditional sports, has three tiers of competition: varsity, club and intramurals.
Intramural sports are the most casual way to join organised athletics.
Club teams are more competitive, where you play against other schools and require try-outs to join. If you end up on a team, you will work with other skilled students and a coach. Schools tend to sponsor club teams.
Varsity sports are the most competitive and organised, they are funded by the college or university.
Varsity puts each school’s best teams in leagues, with the best team from each school in their state. Each individual state partner crowns a new, official state champion each season. In addition to Fortnite, other esports games are available including: Overwatch, League of Legends, Rocket League and Smite. Students have the opportunity to get a varsity letter in esports, which is an award earned for excellence.
Hathaway Brown
In the USA the Hathaway Brown School in Ohio, an all-girls school, has implemented the first all-female varsity esports program.
Esports scholarships in the USA
The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) is the main governing body for varsity collegiate esports and has awarded millions of dollars in esports scholarships and aid since 2015. There are more than 200 colleges and universities offering nearly 15 million dollars in scholarships per year. NACE are a member-driven organisation who focus on the positive development of esports programs at the collegiate level. They advocate for members to create a strong institutional commitment to esports through varsity programs that include scholarships.
In the USA, NACE is the first association of its kind to promote the education and development of students through sponsored intercollegiate esports programs.
For more information visit https://nacesports.org.
US academic requirements for college esports
Since esports are not affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the USA, the academic eligibility tends to be more relaxed than with traditional sports. While scholarship requirements vary from school to school, most varsity programs require gamers to maintain a GPA (Grade Point Average) of 2.5 or higher.
Next College Student Athlete (NCSA)
NCSA is a college athletic recruiting network that helps student-athletes find their best path to college. NCSA’s Esports recruiting guide provides all the information gamers need to know about playing esports in college.
How to get recruited for esports
To find recruits for their esports teams, college coaches start by performing an initial evaluation of prospects who have submitted a recruiting form. In some cases, coaches also monitor major tournaments to find promising recruits. If a coach is impressed by your Twitch stream or video on demand (VOD), they may invite you to campus to meet current team members and undergo a live try-out.
Try-outs are typically held during or shortly before the school year. They allow the coach to evaluate you in person and test your abilities in a team environment. If you pass the test, the coach may offer you a spot on the team and a partial, full-tuition or full-ride scholarship.
What can you get scholarships for?
Varsity programs award esports scholarships to gamers who excel in a wide range of popular titles. Types of games include:
Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA): League of Legends (LoL), Dota 2, Heroes of the Storm and Smite.
First person shooter: Overwatch, Fortnite, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) and Paladins.
Collectable card game: Hearthstone.
Real-time strategy: StarCraft II.
Sports games: Rocket League, FIFA and Madden.
Fighting games: Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat.
For more information go to www.nacesports.org.
How much are esports scholarships?
Esports scholarships are awarded on a school-by-school basis. The majority are partial and seem to range from $500 to $8,000 per year. Several schools are beginning to offer full-tuition, and even full-ride scholarships.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
Hopefully this overview gave you a taste of some of the esports education available in Europe, UK and the USA. If you have any comments leave a reply to this Tweet or check here for other alternatives to connect with me.
Interested in learning more about MrSavage but also his duo partner benjyfishy and how they built their career? Check out the book Build It Like benjyfishy & MrSavage with a wealth of useful information both for players and parents alike.
