If you are a hardcore gamer who eventually wants to have a legit career in the gaming sector, you’ll be glad to know that some universities in UK and the US are offering degrees in e-sports. Finally! 

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Yes, you read that right. So, next time your parents scream at you for spending too much time playing games, you might want to show this article to them. 

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According to reports, the course not only teaches gaming but it also teaches the business behind e-sports so you get to learn the technical, as well as the business aspect of gaming. 

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In the first week, a group of students play first-person shooter video games in a studio. That’s like their introductory class that gives them an idea about what they’ve enrolled for. 

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This program is aimed at capitalizing on the booming industry’s need for skilled professionals. Virginia’s Shenandoah University, Becker College in Massachusetts and The Ohio State University in the US have already started offering degrees in e-sports. The dean of Becker College’s School of Design and Technology said,

It’s no longer kids playing games in their basement. The top e-sports players now earn almost as much as the highest-paid stars in traditional sports like golf or tennis.
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Ryan Chapman, an 18-year-old gaming enthusiast said his parents were “skeptical at first” about studying e-sports, or competitive multiplayer video gaming. However, their perception changed later. He said, 

Now they understand how big the industry is growing, the pace it’s growing at. They’re now really all for it because it’s a great industry to start to get into. 
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Last year, the University of Staffordshire launched its Bachelor’s and Master’s program in e-sports to teach students marketing and management skills required in the gaming industry. Now, the university is expanding their program to London. 

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Schools in Singapore and China are also offering courses in e-sports since there has been a strong growth in the gaming sector. According to Newzoo, a research firm, the global e-sport market is expected to rise by $1.1 billion this year and the global audience is estimated to grow to about 454 million by the end of 2019 since avid gamers tune in to live-streaming gaming platforms like Twitch and Microsoft’s Mixer.

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That’s not all. E-sports tournaments have also become a cultural phenomena where big competitions are held in huge arenas and thousands of fans gather to watch big-name professional gamers battle it out to win the prize money and the ultimate championship. 

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Gamers earn and win millions of dollars just by participating in live-streaming deals. E-sports are also set to be a medal event at the Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines in November, this year. 

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So, if you think you have what it takes to become a professional gamer, this is your chance to make it big. Good luck!


Click here to see the list of colleges offering degrees in e-sports.