Esports Hub Launches Staffordshire University into a New League

Esports Hub Launches Staffordshire University into a New League posted: 28/06/2019

by Ellen Camloh

Whatever equipment our students use-whatever facilities we put in place-we always make sure we're meeting one expectation: that students will get the best possible experience they can get for the jobs they want when they graduate. That's according to Christopher Leese, Technical Specialist for the Media & Communications department at Staffordshire University.

It's not an uncommon mission statement for anyone in higher education. But what's not so common is that the jobs Mr. Leese is referring to are in an industry that didn't even exist just a few years ago. So when it came time for the University to build a new facility to prepare students for their future careers, he and his colleagues had to put aside equipment that had worked for decades in the past. Instead, they focused all their attention on future-looking technology-technology that didn't even exist, just a few years ago.

Ahead of the Game

Take one look at the course curriculum for the newest addition to Staffordshire University's business school, and you'll see it's not like any other management programme in academia.

Year One compulsory modules:

Competitive Gaming Culture

Resourcing Esports Events

Esports Ecosystems

Single Player Esports Event

Esports Events Experience

Esports Broadcasting

That's because the University's brand-new course-started only in September of 2018-is anything but typical.

In fact, it's the first of its kind in the United Kingdom, focusing strictly on the business of an emerging industry that in 2019 expects to see record revenues, thanks in large part to the influx of companies and investors getting into the market.

With a growing sector and high-profile brands rushing into a new space, Staffordshire University looked into the future of its graduates, and saw an opportunity for them to be on the leading edge of a USD $1.1bn (£844 million) industry.

Acquired Skills

Staffordshire University, located in Stoke-on-Trent, England, is no noob when it comes to teaching technology.

For one thing, the campus's roots date back more than a hundred years, to the site of a school of science and technology that opened in 1914.

Other experience points: the University's computer science programmes include certifications in Cyber Security, studies in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, and partnerships with Cisco, Amazon, and Microsoft.

The NewTek VMC1 44-input vision mixer inside the Staffordshire University Esports Hub, NewTek NC1 I/O modules allow additional sources to be routed to the VMC1 including 4K signals

Staffordshire University is the first in the UK to offer a degree programme dedicated to the business of esports management. Shown here is the 44-input NewTek VMC1 IP-based vision mixer

What's more, it offers no fewer than four bachelors' degree programmes in video games. It has previously been ranked best business school in the world for its use of Twitter. And it pioneered the world's first Games PR and Community Management degree.

It was just a natural levelling-up for Staffordshire University to become the first in the UK to offer a degree programme dedicated to the business of esports management.

Attract Mode

In 2017, at the time of the course's conception, the Business School's Associate Dean for Recruitment, Rachel Gowers, observed that industry was driving the creation of new jobs, saying that companies are looking for people who are both entrepreneurial and tech savvy.

That's because jobs in esports aren't limited to the players sitting in front of the game consoles. For companies to make money in esports, just like any other sport, it takes more than just athletes-it takes a whole ecosystem of specialisations.

These jobs can be anything from highly visible roles like on-camera shout casters and hosts, coaches and analysts, to behind-the scenes pros including event managers, partnership and sponsorship reps, production crews, team or organisation managers, finance specialists, and PR execs.

We're not training students to be broadcast engineers, so we don't need to delve into in-depth lessons about how signals are routed or how equipment is cabled, Chris says. It's got to be something that they can easily pick up. And that was one of the biggest selling points for going to NewTek.

With its combination of business and technology expertise, the University was well-positioned to pioneer a programme that could both advance the career development of the next generation of students, and have a direct impact on the industry's presence and growth in the UK.

The resulting course draws from academic best practices in business curriculum, giving students instruction in marketing, HR, finance and event management-but it's entirely modernised and contextualised, to make it far more relevant for students pursuing careers in this ever-evolving industry.

Additionally, one of the school's Lecturers, Stuart Kosters, said that to give students the best chance of getting a job, course developers had actually worked closely with industry employers, for whom hands-on experience was vital in their recruitment.

What better selling point to drive the hands-on experience home to prospective students than to create an Esports Hub-a state-of-the-art facility where they could bring their own esports competitions and productions to life?

Challenge Accepted

The course developers turned to the technical specialists in the Media & Communications staff to specify and deploy the equipment and infrastructure for the new facility. The tech staff were already responsible for running, supporting and maintaining the gear used in the school's other production studios.

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