Competitive videogaming is a new educational option.
Photo courtesy of Shenandoah University
You can claim it’s not a “real sport” all you want, but competitive video gaming is kind of a big deal right now. Widely known as eSports, the business is estimated to be worth almost $1.5 billion by 2020, with some players competing for prize pools of up to$24 million.
So it’s no surprise that educational institutions are catching on, helping prep future “athletes” for the big time. One of them, Shenandoah University in Winchester, is the first university in Virginia and one of the first in the country to roll out its new eSports major for the fall 2019 semester. “We are working to prepare students to enter this field as highly qualified individuals with a unique bachelor’s degree that will place them ahead of other people wishing to enter the field,” says Joey Gawrysiak, the university’s director of sports management.
The major not only provides a general eSports education, but also offers two tracks that students can choose from: eSports management or media and communication. SU.edu
This article originally appeared in our April 2019 issue.
