One major example of esports’ global reach was the League of Legends World Championship held from Sept. 25 to Nov. 2 at the O2 arena in London. The event drew 20,000 in-person viewers, and an additional 6.94 million viewers via livestream.“The skills, like any profession, (are) teaching you how to be professional, teaching you the […]
One major example of esports’ global reach was the League of Legends World Championship held from Sept. 25 to Nov. 2 at the O2 arena in London. The event drew 20,000 in-person viewers, and an additional 6.94 million viewers via livestream.“The skills, like any profession, (are) teaching you how to be professional, teaching you the technical skills to work behind the scenes, and to put on an event. It takes the logistics and the critical thinking that you need to have an event,” Evans said. “If you’re going to work for somebody and you have these marketing skills, you’re going to be an asset to them. So if this doesn’t become your career path, taking these classes, you can use these skills in any business you go to.”“We’re harnessing those for our athletes to be successful, for our brands to be successful, and for your career to be successful, if we can harness, if they understand, all these little intricacies,” Evans said.She highlighted the increasing professionalism within the industry, noting that esports now involves areas such as nutrition, teamwork development, strategic thinking and communication.A common misconception about esports, according to Evans, is that students often don’t realize the vast career opportunities within the industry — particularly in event organization and business management.Evans emphasized that the skills students gain in the esports minor are not limited to gaming careers — they are valuable across multiple industries.“I think it’s going to continue to grow, and parents see that their kids can have a future by learning these skills. They have a future; somewhere they can go. There’s value in the skills being taught. As that becomes more mainstream, I think more people will be accepting of it,” Evans said.For more information about the esports minor, contact the department of Allied Health, Kinesiology and Sport Sciences through email at alliedhealth@semo.edu.“They don’t know there are people out there making lots of money in esports. These events bring in tons of money. It’s not just playing video games in your grandma’s basement,” Evans said.Esports skills: transferable, valuableEvans said the future of esports is bright, with the value and demand for the skills of esports management and marketing continuing to grow with the popularity of the sport itself.
