A degree in Esports is now available!!!

Did you read the article or just the headline?

You don't think the growing industry of e-sports is a worthy one to work in, and getting experience in organising e-sport events etc might prove useful and indeed lucrative for the students on the course?

Reply 4

OP

Original post by Notoriety

Did you read the article or just the headline?

You don't think the growing industry of e-sports is a worthy one to work in, and getting experience in organising e-sport events etc might prove useful and indeed lucrative for the students on the course?

I fail to understand what is required to organise eSports events other than a knowledge of games and good management skill, both of which can be developed without having to pay £30k.

You could easily learn the trade of eSports by going to events and learning and paying £9k a year is just stupid

Reply 5

hanley9

12

Original post by e^iπ

I fail to understand what is required to organise eSports events other than a knowledge of games and good management skill, both of which can be developed without having to pay £30k.

You could easily learn the trade of eSports by going to events and learning and paying £9k a year is just stupid

You can say that about pretty much any degree apart from nursing, medicine, engineering + a handful of others.

Reply 6

Original post by e^iπ

I fail to understand what is required to organise eSports events other than a knowledge of games and good management skill, both of which can be developed without having to pay £30k.

You could easily learn the trade of eSports by going to events and learning and paying £9k a year is just stupid

Aye, you could also learn about the law without going to uni and having basic internet access. The puzzle is how do you get on the most direct route to knowledge and understanding. That's through a 3-year intensive course.

The current generation of e-sport organisers are people who come from general arts or programming backgrounds; they have through experience latched on to this new industry. The new wave of grads are people who come entered HE with e-sports in mind.

Reply 7

hanley9

12

Original post by Notoriety

Aye, you could also learn about the law without going to uni and having basic internet access. The puzzle is how do you get on the most direct route to knowledge and understanding. That's through a 3-year intensive course.

The current generation of e-sport organisers are people who come from general arts or programming backgrounds; they have through experience latched on to this new industry. The new wave of grads are people who come entered HE with e-sports in mind.

Let's not pretend this degree offers an acceptable return on investment.

Reply 8

Original post by hanley9

Let's not pretend this degree offers an acceptable return on investment.

Let's pretend that you have presented any argument on why it wouldn't be.

Reply 9

OP

Original post by Notoriety

Let's pretend that you have presented any argument on why it wouldn't be.

Perhaps because the industry is very niche and there are a huge amount of computer programmers who have done technical degrees in CS who will be much better qualified to fill the roles required by eSports organisers.

Reply 10

ThomH97

21

I think it's foolish to be doing anything to encourage the spread of this sedantry hobby, when we're implementing stupid things like the sugar tax in a feeble attempt to get people healthy.

Reply 11

Original post by e^iπ

Perhaps because the industry is very niche and there are a huge amount of computer programmers who have done technical degrees in CS who will be much better qualified to fill the roles required by eSports organisers.

And have no experience in e-sports. The entry-level roles in these industries are to be filled by whom? Those with a degree specifically designed for e-sports or those who did a CS degree and participated in an e-sports society throughout their education?

It is a niche industry, which makes entry very difficult.

Reply 12

OP

What I'm trying to argue against is the need to specialise an undergraduate degree. From the website this degree seems to be a mish-mash of marketing and gaming.

There is nothing in the degree that even comes close to showing value for money. There are eSports trips included but you could do those yourself. Staffordshire or any other uni for that matter are free to offer any degree they want but paying that much money for a degree thats so specialised is stupid. A CS grad would have a better understanding of how the systems needed to run an eSports event work and so would be preferable to someone with this eSports degree.

Reply 13

999tigger

Original post by e^iπ

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-45328940

'The course, which costs £9,250 a year, will focus on the business of esports, teaching students how to host and promote events, create businesses and build online communities.'

This is where it gets absurd, no wonder university is becoming devlaued when you have dodgy degrees like this one.

Thoughts? This will join the ranks of surf science and golg management studies IMO

Not really. there have already been threads about this.

Esports is big business. Its nearly doubled in the last two years and is approaching being a billion dollar industry.

Why on earth would university be devalues by a few students doing a specialist events management degree?
Is it events management or just computer gaming you deny have any commercial viability?

Reply 14

999tigger

Original post by hanley9

Let's not pretend this degree offers an acceptable return on investment.

Do you have any evidence to say otherwise? is epsorts an industry where people make money?
Do people make a career in events management?

Reply 15

moonkatt

At a glance, this just sounds like a specialised events management degree tbh.

Reply 16

Student-95

20

Don't see what the problem is. It's focused on a niche market but it's a rapidly growing one and if there is only one uni offering it then oversaturation shouldn't be a big problem. There's bound to be transferrable skills that would help in hosting non-esport events too.

Reply 17

999tigger

Original post by e^iπ

Perhaps because the industry is very niche and there are a huge amount of computer programmers who have done technical degrees in CS who will be much better qualified to fill the roles required by eSports organisers.

This is untrue. Completely different skills set. Just because you can program doesnt mean you have the people, business and organisational skills that epsorts degree looks to develop.

Why are you so upset by this? dont you like computer games or dont you view it as a valid industry to make a living from?

Reply 18

OP