Depending on who you ask, playing computer games is ether a harmless way to pass the time – either individually or with friends, or a complete waste of time. But the naysayers may be changing their tune soon thanks to a unique college course that will offer video gamers the chance to pursue a career in e-sports. Newcastle College has teamed up with Newcastle United’s Foundation to offer one and two-year BTEC courses in e-sports gaming – designed for those who wish to pursue their hobby as a career path.
We’re teaming up with @NCLCollege to offer unique Esports qualifications with insight from 3x @NUFC #ePremierLeague representative @PlanetToast1
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— Newcastle United Foundation (@NU_Foundation) April 20, 2021
From a Hobby to a Career
The curriculum has been designed to offer students a wide-ranging look at the industry. As well as competitive gaming, there will be modules in event management, gaming business entrepreneurship, social media management, and more besides.
Those on the course will also be able to represent the Newcastle United Foundation in a number of e-sports competitions held throughout the year. Jake Simpson – a professional e-sports gamer who competes for the Magpies in the ePremier League – will also be on hand to offer up his expert guidance.
The head of the Newcastle United Foundation, Steve Beharall, is ‘thrilled’ with the unique curriculum. “These new courses are truly one-of-a-kind in the region and we are excited to see what the future holds for the first cohort of students starting their journey in September,” he said.
A Whole New World
The advancement of super-fast internet technology has enabled multiplayer gaming – where players can compete from all over the world in the same game – to thrive. There are many different e-sports games, including popular mainstream titles like FIFA, Call of Duty, and Fortnite, to strategy-led titles such as Dota and CS: GO.
In the UK alone competitive e-sports has its own member association, and according to the stats, more than 220 million people worldwide are involved in competitive video gaming in some way. Many big brands and companies are involved in sponsoring e-sports events, and most of the major football clubs from around the world now have their own e-sports teams competing on their behalf.
These #dota2 players won the highest overall earnings through prize money:
Earnings:
1/ Johan Sundstein (N0tail)$6,890,591
2/ Jesse Vainikka (JerAx)$6,470,000
3/ Anathan Pham (Ana)$6,000,411
4/ Sébastien Debs (Ceb)$5,489,233
5/ Topias Taavitsainen (Topson)$5,414,446— Midnight eSports (@Midnightesp0rts) November 21, 2019
For those scoffing as to whether this is a genuine career path, The International – widely considered to be the most lucrative e-sports competition in the world – has a prize pool of in excess of £20 million. Johan Sundstein, known in e-sports circles as ‘N0tail’, has earned nearly £4 million in prize money.
Knock-on Effect
So popular is e-sports becoming that bookmakers even take bets on the major tournaments, and video gaming has helped to re-shape the betting industry. There has been a move away from having a flutter on the football or horses to a more social, online-led sector.
Consequently, other areas including the online bingo UK sector have enjoyed a boom in popularity too. Player’s Choice nominees like Wolf Gold and Fishin’ Frenzy contributed towards this sector making more than £900 million in the 2019-20 financial year. This is thanks to the social, community element it encompasses that is so popular today.
Once the domain of teenage boys in their bedrooms, e-sports has driven a mini economy that is now open to people of all ages and genders. As the popularity of online bingo has demonstrated, competitive gaming now has something for everyone.
As for competitive e-sports gaming, with such opportunities up for grabs, you can hardly blame anyone for pursuing in this sector. This course at Newcastle College could be the foundation for outstanding success for the North East in this thriving industry.