eSports has grown immensely over the last few years. What started as an expansion of general online multiplayer games has become a whole new type of ‘sport,’ even allowing people to bet on the results. And you can see why it’s so popular, with people playing video games for a living – something that many of us dreamt about as a kid. Now the pros are doing it for real.
But that doesn’t mean you just have to sit back and watch. Now you can take a degree in eSports – it’s become an area of study, so if you really want to be an expert in the subject matter and make a career in a booming industry, why not spend a few years studying it from the best?
From Hobby to Career
You can imagine the look on many parents’ faces when their little one (well, maybe not so little) tells them they want to study eSports and gain a degree in it. But parents can push their jaws back into place because what once started out as a multiplayer video game hobby is now a recognized area and one that offers a field of study.
If you’re into video games and thought: “I wish I could do this for a career,” – well, the path may well be studying a degree in it first. It’s always good to study (so they say) to get a leg up in whatever career field you want to enter, and eSports is no different.
Already it’s offered as a subject at universities in the US, and the UK followed suit very soon after. Virginia’s Shenandoah University, Becker College in Massachusetts, and The Ohio State University all have eSports degrees that started in the last few years. Imagine how many more will be offering it in the next few?
So, while some people enjoyed playing doctors growing up and wanted to pursue a medical career, now you can take your hobby of playing video games and focus it on becoming a career by taking the first steps and studying it at college.
What to Expect in Your Studies
If you think studying for a degree in eSports will just see you giving your thumbs a good workout while you play video games, then you’re mistaken. At the core of these degrees, you’ll discover how to make your pursuit of eSports a legitimate business.
You’ll learn all the intricacies that are involved in eSports, especially around events, so expect to learn how to host and promote events and create, build and maintain online communities. If you’re going to be studying eSports, then you probably already know a thing or two about the games anyway. But deep diving into the culture will help you prepare for pursuing it in the real world.
You’ll understand the fan base, the current game genres to be taking part in, and all the ethical and legislative regulations you need to keep pace with to succeed. You will also begin to understand the commercial side of the business, such as how even betting companies offer markets on eSports matches. Some bookies, like Betway, even sponsor eSports teams. Whether you want to compete as a player, manage a team, or just be involved in the industry, an eSports degree will help.
A Gamers Dream?
Playing multiplayer video games on a professional level sounds like a dream. And it is one that has come true and can come true for many a gamer. The last few years have seen it massively increase in awareness, from roughly 800,000 people involved in 2015 to over a billion just a few years later. Most Americans even think eSports should be part of the Olympics.
This number is growing, not just because more people are entering it but because the viewership is growing year on year, too. There are hundreds of millions of people who now watch eSports online. First off, it’s taken a popular pastime and made it a real-life sports competition that many people can relate to. Secondly, as it’s improved in popularity, all aspects of it have grown, too.
It’s difficult to go a day without seeing adverts online for eSports, and in the betting world, it’s now part of multiple daily markets. It’s predicted that the number of casual viewers of eSports will explode in just a few years. Will you be getting an education to make sure you’re part of it?