In Northeast England, a classroom is filled with high-powered computers, giving the room a blue, futuristic glow thanks to the LED-lit peripherals.
Each computer has a price tag of about £3,000 (almost US$4,000) and is utilized specifically for grooming students into top-tier video game players.
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This advanced equipment represents a part of the recently-established eSports campus in Sunderland, which aims to promote virtual sports across the country.
The British Esports Federation’s COO, Dave Martin, sees the country as a pool of “unbelievable talent” but also believes more progress can be made, especially comparing with other countries that are ahead.
Popularity
Esports, or professional competitive gaming, has experienced immense growth in popularity and received official recognition as a sport by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2017.
A report by Nielsen and foundation ex corp in August highlighted that the international market is valued at more than US$1.8 billion.
Despite this, it still accounts for less than one percent of the global video games market, which boasts a value greater than £237 billion.
The esports industry, however, is on a rapid ascent.
Its size managed to triple between 2017 and 2022 globally and is forecasted to gain another 50 percent by 2026.
The esports market in the UK alone was worth more than US$69 million in 2022, although still far behind global leaders such as China (US$594 million) and the United States (US$440 million), according to the same report.
The British Esports Federation is making strides to narrow this gap by sinking £7.0 million into the Sunderland-based National Esports Performance Campus (NEPC).
Martin is hopeful that this move will “improve the UK esports ecosystem from grassroots upwards”.
The federation currently offers training for various gaming industry roles, like marketing, competition broadcasting, team management, and professional gaming.
Olympics
The latest NEPC focuses not only on training potential players.
It will also aim to groom future industry professionals through a collaborative effort with Sunderland College, a local higher education establishment..
Toby Bowery, head of the Sunderland College eSports programme, mentioned that the eSports industry comprises various different professions, including events management, business, and creative media, along with players, psychologists, and nutritionists.
According to Bowery, the newly-built facility serves as a “real work environment”, allowing students to interact with pro-players due to sharing the site with the British Esports Federation.
Virtual sports are surpassing traditional sports with regards to prize money.
Each player from the five-person team that won the 2021’s edition of “The International” — a coveted tournament held annually for DOTA 2 — received in excess of US$3.6 million.
For comparison, the Wimbledon men’s singles champion of that year, Novak Djokovic, won US$2.2 million.
In September 2023, the IOC disclosed the formation of a dedicated commission for esports to push for the acceptance of virtual sports as a staple in Olympics.
The upcoming completion of “The Arena” at Sunderland’s new campus is expected to provide a venue for esports tournaments.
‘Quite surreal’
An eSports program student, Nicholas Wilkinson, described the development of an eSports campus in this part of England as “somewhat astonishing”.
His ambition is to forge a career as a “caster” or a professional esports commentator.
Wilkinson observed that earlier, one had to head south to London or Nottingham for any eSports-related events.
Evan Howey, another student, envisions a future as a professional player.
Howey specified that the people in the course have varied interests and noted the importance of fostering collaboration for growth.
Chris Jeffrey, an independent game developer and eSports coach, pointed out that the new campus serves as a pathway for “students from disadvantaged backgrounds lacking access to such equipment at home”. — AFP