Does SMU Need an Esports Team?
As we witnessed the world shut down last year during the pandemic, gaming stepped in to meet our social needs. We saw the birth of a whole new stream of gamers who had picked up a controller for the first time ever. Not only was the video game industry already bigger than music and movies, but it was also one of the few rare ones that actually thrived and considerably grew last year, and this growth is only expected to increase in the following years. Esports is the world of competitive organized gaming tournaments and is one of the hottest things in professional gaming today.
According to a report by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC), video games contributed more than $8 billion to the Canadian economy the past year. Twenty-three million Canadians (that’s 61% of the population) play games regularly. The majority of gamers fall within the age bracket of high school and college students. Additionally, research suggests that ninety-seven percent of all teens engage in gaming. Furthermore, insights by Rishi Chadha, the global head of gaming content and partnerships at Twitter indicate that competitive online games like Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds remain the most popular among Twitter users globally. It should be no surprise that these are the games sporting some of the most competitive Esports tournaments worldwide.
How does the impressive growth relate to the academic sphere? For starters, this growth can help attract both national and international talent. Saint Mary’s University has a large international student population, with students from over eighty countries. Meanwhile, the biggest Esports stars come from South Korea, China, USA, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, and Russia. With the Esports industry set to attain a net worth of $3 billion as early as next year, it would be wise to start recruiting promising students early. There are many ways this could come to fruition. For example, recognizing the latent potential, the University of Toronto has launched a scholarship to support the recruitment of esports talent. Since 2018, the Victor Xin Scholarship in Esports has been awarded to full-time undergraduate students in the faculty of applied science and engineering. Students are expected to have a minimum of 3.5 GPA, and demonstrate a passion for Esports or gaming through leadership roles or participation in relevant extracurriculars. Additionally, course selection, design projects or research may also be taken into consideration. This scholarship is funded by UoFT alumnus Victor Xin, in an effort to recognize the different sets of talent on campus.
While Esports in Canada haven’t quite reached the collegiate level yet, the Ontario Post-Secondary Esports league (which launched last fall) and the Alberta Esports Association’s Salt Flats event (which took place last month) are a small taste of what’s to come. If the trends across the United States and Australia are any indication, Esports could likely begin booming at the varsity level in the very near future.
Esports teams aren’t that different from traditional athletic teams as one might think. Esports deeply relies on discipline, constant and effective communication among teammates, training and practicing as a unit, collaborating, planning, and executing strategies and plays. The dynamic nature of these games means that players have to make instinctive adjustments to the game plan, and actively inform their teammates of these improvisations during the match. These matches do get every bit as competitive and emotional as other sports, perhaps even more.
Photo by jp.extremenetworks
Esports is surely making its mark in the world of sports too. In terms of viewership, Dota 2 has surpassed the NHL’s Stanley Cup Finals, the World Series and even the NBA finals. For instance, The International hit an incredible milestone of twenty million viewers back in the 2014 finals. Today, the ninth annual world championship of the game boasts a prize pool of $34.3 million, compared to the modest $15 million of the NBA. As Jeremy Dueck, Manager of The Kitchener Memorial Auditorium (The AUD) noted: “Esports is not just a new sport. Esports is also a new career path, an economic driver, community bridge, and global connection that will have a positive impact…
In many ways, Esports has huge advantages over traditional sports. Esports provides a unique opportunity by providing high inclusivity – gaming is more accessible to students from different backgrounds. Notably, there is an equal split in gender with adult gamers in Canada. Where else can we see people of all genders playing on the same team? It’s ambitiously socially uplifting and there’s undeniable student engagement value here. Esports is also easily accessible for fans, as anyone with an internet connection can watch the rivalries unfold for free. With gaming being the popular medium that it is, Esports is a surefire way to gain student support and involvement on campus.
The biggest barrier to implementing Esports teams on university campuses would be to secure consistent and adequate funding. However, the cost of building and maintaining an Esports team is usually blown way out of proportion. Compared to athletic sports, Esports does not require constructing large arenas or purchasing an endless supply of expensive gear. If, theoretically, we were to launch a pilot an Esports program at the varsity level, it could be pulled off on a small-scale budget as compared to, say, building a hockey rink. One of the few things an Esports program would need might be a practice room, which can be set up by refurbishing an underutilized area of the campus; they don’t need a large field or gym. Instead of buying new equipment, renting them from local stores would provide a cheaper alternative. Several colleges around the nation, such as the St. Clair Saints have already taken advantage of these low costs and established varsity teams well before their university counterparts.
However, there are some important components of building a program that I personally believe would be integral to the success of an Esports team. It would require an expert coach who can effectively guide the players, who is highly competent in intercultural communication and conflict-resolution, and who would be able to monitor the team’s nutrition and screen time to maintain their health and well-being.
The team would also require a dedicated stable, fast, and wired internet connection with low latency to be able to put their best foot forward and perform well competitively. Since they are expected to practice for hours on end, the quality of the screens and chairs are also to be taken into consideration. Note that these are all just the startup costs – once these are implemented, maintenance would be relatively inexpensive compared to maintenance required for other athletic sports.
To take the team to the next level, we’d need a decent marketing strategy to attract sponsors, this is where a collaboration with the marketing students could come in. Their involvement and success could also provide useful insight into the potential interest in Esports-specific marketing and management programs that are popular in the country.
Despite the world’s attitude towards gaming shifting to a more positive light during the past generation, some educators still believe that Esports provide low educational value to the students due to the stigma against video games; but in reality, this is quite untrue. Intriguingly, these players actually tend to be high academic achievers interested in high-paying, employer-valued fields. For instance, Micheal Sherman, Director of Collegiate Esports at Riot games, once noted in an interview, “…62% of our participants are from STEM majors.” Recent research findings also suggest that gaming improves brain functioning and performance, visuospatial skills, and even the creation of memories. Wondering what else can improve your brain’s competence? Find out more in our piece on the ‘Plastic Brain’.
I think it goes without saying that eligibility into the team should most definitely follow the same criteria and restrictions as other sports do such as, maintaining a certain minimum GPA, regular class attendance and the maintenance of the university code of conduct. It will take a while before universities are as renowned for their success in Overwatch as much as their basketball talent. However, times are changing, and it’s high time Saint Mary’s starts considering forming our own team. By doing so, we can encourage participation and provide the ground to grow our student talent and make our mark at the national level thus adding value to the overall holistic experience at Saint Mary’s.