Esports: the industry breaking barriers in the digital generation – enrol on a course at Calderdale College
Have you been looking around colleges with your child and have stumbled across Esports?
As we embrace new opportunities in the digital world, Esports is just one of the many courses now open for students to study at college. All you have to possess is a passion for Esports, gaming and a willingness to learn!
Ready, player one?
For a bit of background, Esports, also known as Electronic Sports, is the name for online competitive video gaming. The age of computers, along with the notion of Esports has been around since the 1950s, but it is the emergence of the worldwide web and digital networking in the 90s that has really put Esports on the map in the digital generation.
Once a phenomenon confined to the four walls of a gamer’s bedroom, this global cybersport sees collaborative teams come together to change the discourse of said game with a winning objective. Gamers, also known as athletes, battle it out player vs player in huge tournaments representing their team through online streaming spectacles, broadcasting to audiences around the world.
Debunking the Esports gaming stereotype
The old cliché stereotypes around avid gamers and Esports are constantly being broken down by academics and industry professionals. We are here to clear up the misconceptions and myths around the subject of Esports in college education.
Myth 1: Esports isn’t a “real sport”
The reality is Esports requires teamwork, mental resilience and key decision-making, so the physiological demands of Esports are reflective of other popular sports we know and love. Esports professionals are true athletes in their own right with the industry being supported by some of the biggest players in the game like David Beckham.
Like traditional household name sports such as football and rugby, Esports is recognised by Sport England, FA and the International Olympic Committee. More than 70 colleges in the UK now offer Esports courses covering everything from business and marketing, to coaching and events management so you can study what you love whilst picking up essential skills and best practices to enter Esports on a professional level.
Myth 2: There is no skill and professionalism in Esports
Esports athletes are professional and skilled in their craft, just like any other line of work. They thrive being thrown in the deep end, formulating and executing situational strategies to triumph winning streaks for their team. To be a leader is to be a professional and that is exactly what you will become as you develop fundamental life and team management skills studying Esports.
Myth 3: Esports has no career opportunities
The career trajectory for Esports and related industries is endless. You can pursue careers in tech such as software development, coding and data analytics or go into people-orientated business sectors where you could become a project manager, team leader or events officer.
Team based roles are high in demand, every business requires team management at every level to reach targets and support success. If you’re creative minded with a practical, hands-on approach to daily-challenges, Esports will shape your ability to apply tangible skills to both offline and online careers where earning potential can reach £80,000 and beyond.
Esports at Calderdale College
New for September 2024, Esports at Calderdale College will see us develop and grow the next wave of 16 – 18 aged Esports athletes, coaches, analysts and managers, helping them to get into the world of gaming and pave the way for a highly successful career.
The two-year course, coming to the college’s new skills hub, Mill Studios at Dean Clough, will introduce students to the early and advanced stages of IT, coding, Esports coaching, branding, broadcasting and other areas of study that encompass all aspects of working in the Esports industry.
Where can a course in Esports take you?
The Esports industry is experiencing a massive surge in popularity, with more than 600 million registered users on world premier Esports club Discord.
Potential career paths:
– Games developer
– Marketing manager
– Events organiser
– Performance analyst
To put it straight, the opportunities and earning potential when you pursue a career in Esports are endless! Not only will your child earn a reputation in a respectable digital field, they will learn valuable life and people skills by studying a teamwork orientated Level 3 course at the new gaming and media centre, Mill Studios.
David Malone, Principal & Chief Executive at Calderdale College said: “What we have planned at Mill Studios is a huge game-changer for the College and the district, providing a digital creative hub that will transform learning in this sector, bringing new courses like Esports to Calderdale along with cutting-edge facilities.”
If you want to find out more about Level 3 Esports and Mill Studios at Calderdale College, please click here.