Never heard of eSports? It’s one of the hottest new careers in technology.
Chances are it’s going to be the subject of career planning conversations if you’re raising teenagers. Parents and guardians of teenagers can be assured that eSports is a sport and it can also be a career. Read on to find out more about eSports and how Murdoch is preparing university students for fruitful and interesting careers in this new area of technology.
What is eSports?
By definition, eSports is a sport competition using video games. It’s also known as electronic sports, e-sports, or esports. They’re often played as multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams organised in leagues. According to research by Green Man Gaming, eSports is a billion dollar industry with rapid audience growth and skyrocketing prize money for winners of eSports tournaments.
Can eSports become a career?
While many avid gamers dream of finding fame and fortune through eSports, the reality is it’s just as hard to become the target of eSports recruiting as it is in traditional sporting careers. There’s no doubt professional eSports stars are earning huge incomes. Good players can sign with professional teams, get sponsorship contracts or make money on YouTube. It’s a rare player who qualifies at superstar level.
The real opportunity for video game enthusiasts, however, is not becoming a professional gamer but joining the eSports Australia technology community by developing a career in gaming. Your child can work in a wide variety of roles including game design, game animation, software development, games testing, and even an interpreter and translator.
Benefits of eSports
eSports careers require a range of different skills, many of which are needed by professional sports people including hand-eye coordination, good reflexes, and a sound understanding of gaming and rules. A strong community has been established both globally and in Australia around eSports. In addition, students learn workplace skills from gaming and Australian research has shown many desirable benefits and positive personal developments through eSports including:
- Commitment
- Cooperation
- Initiative
- Tangible rewards
- Emotional self-regulation
- Personal growth
- Self-esteem
- Communication
eSports at Murdoch
Murdoch has developed an Esports Gaming Hub to assist in career development and research. (It’s also available for competitive and casual play.) While your child is unlikely to be a target of professional eSports recruiting, they are able to study technology and develop a variety of different career pathways including games research and technology. In many ways this is the best of both worlds, giving your child a degree in high demand with plenty of time for gaming, both as part of their course of study and as part of their leisure time.
Areas of study for students wanting to focus on eSports and gaming include:
- Games Technology – Students learn how to build games and simulation engines. They use interactive visualisation software applications and explore exciting features such as 3D software design and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
- Games Software Design and Production – Students focus on games software design and all that goes into creating computer, mobile and video games.
- Games Art and Design – Students explore production concepts, and industry-standard tools and techniques, as well as animation, 3D modelling, and concept art to touch on a few areas.
