Foundations for Esports Curricula in Higher Education

Abstract

Esports has generated an industry of increasing economic and cultural importance. In recent years, universities and other higher education institutions have responded to its growth by establishing programmes of study which aim to satisfy the needs of innovators operating in the area. However, there is not yet consensus on what an esports curriculum should include. Despite being a technology-driven sector with ethical and professional dimensions that intersect computing, current ACM and IEEE curricula do not mention esports. Furthermore, existing courses tend to provide teaching and training on a wide variety of topics aside from those traditionally in computer science. These include: live events management; psychological research; sports science; marketing; public relations; video (livestream) production; and community management; in addition to coaching and communication. This working group examined the requirements for developing esports studies at universities with a focus on understanding career prospects in esports and on the challenges presented by its interdisciplinary complexity. Thereby, paving the way for a framework to support the design of esports curricula in higher education.

Sustaining eSports Industry and Regulatory Focus: Empirical Evidence From Chinese Universities

“…Moreover, the size of China's eSport industry is more significant in South Korea in terms of the number of players at the international- and national-level tournament (Scott et al, 2021 ). It is anticipated that the market size of China's eSport will reach 215 billion yuan in 2022.…”

“…The eSports are not only about gaming and killing time, but it also adds to the student's critical thinking skills and self-direct learning, fostering innovation and teamwork (Scott et al, 2021 ). Given these points, this study has considered the significance of eSports in universities and its growing industry.…”

Preparing Students for Careers in the Esport Industry

“…Not surprisingly then, as esport continues to garner mainstream acceptance and growth, increased interest is being drawn from collegiate athletic programs (Scott et al, 2021). There has also been increased attention from the academy to research and examine knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes that students need for careers in esport, as well as to develop curriculum that supports educational endeavors to this end (Funk et al, 2018;Jenny et al, 2021).…”

“…There has also been increased attention from the academy to research and examine knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes that students need for careers in esport, as well as to develop curriculum that supports educational endeavors to this end (Funk et al, 2018;Jenny et al, 2021). Much like traditional sport management and comparable academic disciplines, scholars note esport as a practice-based subject that should utilize experiential learning opportunities to advance and apply what is taught in the classroom (Karadakis & Painchaud, 2022;Scott et al, 2021). Because of this, internships are often deemed a critical learning tool for career development (Odio & Kerwin, 2016).…”

Application of Artificial Intelligence to the Development of Playing Ability in the Valorant Game

“…The difference is that each Valorant agent or hero has unique skills to add to the excitement of the battle. This game also has a large selection of agents, weapons, game modes, and maps that can be played [9]. Valorant now also has several tournaments both in the national and international arena, so the fans are getting more and more [10].…”