game development club .
JCSU ’ s program intertwines elements of both gameplay and career exploration . “ Eighty-three percent of African Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 play video games on a daily or weekly basis , but they make up only 2 % of professionals employed in the esports and gaming industries ,” says JCSU ’ s Lawson- Williams . “ This statistic was an impetus behind JCSU ’ s Esports and Gaming Trifecta , as we strive to show our gamer-scholars that the esports they compete in are more than a game .”
There are currently more than 65 students in JCSU ’ s Esports and Gaming Trifecta , and the program ’ s first graduate finished his degree in May .
New facilities attract game players and creators Esports can be a valuable complement to a school ’ s academic programming . To date , around
175 institutions have varsity esports teams registered with the National Association of Collegiate Esports , up from around 125 in 2019 . As
Sean Burns , a corporate researcher at Educause , wrote in a 2021 report on
expanding esports in higher education , there are several important ways in which esports
benefit colleges and universities , including boosting student retention and recruitment .
“ This is a new avenue for institutions to pursue that lets them open up doors to new students and bring them in to lead ,” writes Burns .
Beyond establishing official clubs , colleges and universities are making significant investments to build out their own dedicated gaming facilities , like CSUDH ’ s soon-to-be-launched
Esports Incubator Lab . The lab , which will offer four main components — an incubation space complete with content creation stations , a competition area , a production room , and a classroom to support esports courses — will be housed in the university ’ s library .
“ Esports is a multidisciplinary subject matter ,” says
Ruben Caputo , esports general manager , academic advisor , and information technology consultant for CSUDH . “ It ’ s not just for computer science majors — it ’ s for everyone who ’ s looking to expand and tap into a new , exciting industry . Our students are the consumers , but they ’ re actually the creators , too .”
Transferable skills and career trajectories Of course , some students are drawn to esports for the same reasons that traditional athletes devote years of their life to their sport : for the love of the game , the thrill of competition , and the promise of fame and influencer status . In esports , this path is possible , if competitive . For example ,
Erin Ashley Simon , an alumna of the University of Kentucky , has become a successful esports multimedia personality , host , producer , and consultant .
But there are also myriad career opportunities behind the screens .
Kitty Cao , an esports sponsorship supervisor at
HyperX , has turned her own love of gaming into a blossoming career that includes building partnerships with collegiate gaming programs . HyperX works with dozens of collegiate partners , including CSUDH , the University of Kentucky , and the University of California at San Diego , by supporting events , outfitting esports arenas with equipment , and working to develop programming that engages students and the larger esports community .
“ Partnerships make a lot possible ,” Cao says . “ We get to bring cool ideas to life , but you need to be organized , and you need to have general knowledge of esports ’ different aspects and departments .”
Cao notes that her job is just one example of the wide
“ Developing an esports and gaming curriculum provides our scholars with the tools to enter career pathways and succeed beyond their [ gaming ] controller .”
— BerNadette Lawson-Williams , founder of Johnson C . Smith University ’ s Esports and Gaming Trifecta
range of options available in the industry . Among the popular trajectories , she says , are team management , broadcasting , production , business development , and graphic design . Lawson-Williams mentions a few other interesting possibilities : There are now esports photographers , lab assistants , tournament managers , social media managers , and even massage therapists .
As for Warren-Carrasco , who originally thought she ’ d go into restaurant management , the variety of esports career paths — from pro players to lawyers who work exclusively for esports organizations — has broadened her aspirations .
“ It ’ s been eye-opening how many career options are available ,” she says about what her experience has opened up to her . “ It seems like I could point in any direction and I ’ ll hit on a possible job in the industry .”
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