My name is Edie and I’m a student at the University of Sunderland, and I’m in my third (and final!) year of my BA in Glass and Ceramics. Last year, I was president of my esports team and during that time I had some incredible opportunities such as being part of Intel’s FutureGen, working alongside legendary esports orgs like Resolve and even winning awards at my university for my commitment to developing esports.
Something I consider very important as a student are my prospects after I graduate; I’ll have a degree, and I’ll have all this experience in the esports industry, yet I feel the opportunities to pursuing an actual career in esports are few and far beyond. Why is that? With 75% of UK students being in favour of integrating esports into the school curriculum, it’s surprising to see plenty of passionate graduate gamers, myself included, be let down repeatedly by employers offering “entry-level” positions. It’s arguably the most accessible and diverse sport of the modern world, so why are we not seeing more students being accepted into esports careers?
This is something that really intrigues me, so I decided to ask my community how they felt about it; I put out a survey in esports discord servers to collect some answers (you may have seen me in the NSE server last week!). The only criteria: you’re a student and you game. I used those answers from real current students to investigate why we’re seeing a decline in student esports athletes continuing in gaming after graduation.
Despite more than half of the students (58.3%) saying they believe esports is adequately represented at their university, three-quarters of the students (75%) said they felt that their Students Union/Sports Office denied esports the equal opportunities and funding they give other teams, and the teams themselves are having to source their own equipment and facilities. For every single student who said their university offered an Elite Athlete Scheme (or equivalent), only 21.7% said they accept esports athletes onto the scheme, denying them the funding and training that other athletes competing at the same level would be entitled to. With all this in mind, it’s not surprising that so many aspiring esports professionals are turning their back on the industry after graduation.
Of all the students that filled in my survey, almost every single one (87.5%) said their dream career was within esports, but only a quarter (25%) of those felt prepared enough to pursue it, the main reasons being a lack of industry contacts or relevant experience. So we’ve got all of these individuals feeling unmotivated and unprepared to pursue their aspirations, but what can universities do to make sure they’re encouraging them rather than turning them away?
Aside from the solution of offering more courses related to the esports industry, it’s on sports offices and students' unions to make sure those individuals feel empowered by their skills in gaming. If a promising young football player wants to pursue a professional career they’re rewarded with training, conditioning and transport to events; When an esports athlete wants to do the same, they feel disadvantaged because they haven’t got the contacts or networking opportunities or even training facilities they need. This can so easily be changed by universities stepping up and offering esports athletes the same opportunities and events they offer more “traditional sports”. Students are asking for more chances to connect with industry professionals, they want coaches to help develop their skills, and need better facilities to put those skills into practice. If you have the power to make a difference in your university community, you need to step up and be that change the students need.
If you’re a student, don’t give up! Get in contact with your sports office, students union and your university to get those changes you want to see. Apply for those esports jobs, even if you don’t think you’re qualified, and reach out to others in your community who can offer you expertise and guidance. There’s no time like the present for getting involved with what you want to do, and I fully believe that good things come to those who go out and earn it.
I’m a part of the SteelSeries Ambassador Programme (SAP). Companies like SteelSeries can offer amazing opportunities (such as this one!) to students aspiring to pursue a career in esports. When the SAP was advertised to me I went for it straight away. I was lucky enough to be chosen, and I got sent some awesome products to review: their Arctis GameBuds and the KontrolFreeks. You can check out the video review I made on my TikTok and Instagram, @ediesonline! This experience definitely helped me overcome some problems that students face; I’ve gained more industry contacts, and I’ve learned about how to promote products and speak to consumers. I’d recommend anyone to keep their eyes peeled for anything similar that comes up as it can be an amazing boost and foot in the door to the industry.