Students at St. Claire college in Canada may soon have the option to take an esports program, pending approval from the education ministry. They’re appealing to young people who aspire to join the esports industry, a dream job for many. Dubbed “Saints Gaming“, the course’s mission statement is to “strive to be the best varsity esports program in the country, where athletes are given the same treatment as athletes in it’s traditional varsity sports. In addition, players receive the tools to perform to the best of their ability both in the eSports arena and in the classroom.” It’s backed in part by Alienware, Cisco, Subway, and other notable brand patrons. The college has approved the program, and now seeking final approval.
What’s covered?
The really cool part about this is that the course how comprehensive and varied the programs. Some of which are sports management marketing, branding, and some business courses. This is a huge opportunity as it gives so many people the option to go to school and game while learning all of the other aspects of managing a traditional business as well as things like monetizing your online brand through video streaming and selling merchandise. There’s also a focus on communication.
Shaun Byrne, the esports coordinator of the program, mentioned that there’s going to be a push towards entrepreneurship since the industry is still emerging. Unfortunately, the course isn’t going to be available just yet, it’s being held back by the government. The program was going to be launched this fall but didn’t because of the ministry of education not signing off their final approval. The new estimated launch has been set to January 2019.
Youth appeal
Look, let’s face it. The existence of course like this is pretty important and going to turn a lot of heads if it proves to be effective and produces successful alumni. It’s been the dream of too many people within the past twenty years to game for a living, let alone get an education from it. If approved, it opens a new chapter in the world of academics. These skills are difficult to develop and mostly unheard of at a traditional college. Certainly, they’re not what’s expected to be taught when people pursue higher learning after high school.
On another note, the program can seriously help people who don’t learn in a traditional format nor would otherwise consider entrepreneurship. The course might have some traditional content, but it’s going to be all in connection to esports. We’re excited to see it develop further, as it is completely different from what the world has seen before. You can follow their progress on Twitter and Facebook.
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