As the global esports industry moves mainstream, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s College of Social Sciences is in the game, preparing students for careers in the fast-growing field of esports.
According to statista.com, the global esports market revenue was valued at close to $865 million in 2018. Expectations of continued rapid growth lead to projections pegging global revenues to reach $1.79 billion by 2022.
Kauweloa’s course, Esports and Society, is the first of its kind at UH Mānoa and covers the growing popularity and significance of this expanding industry.
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In the Esports and Society course, students study the emerging role of esports as new form of mainstream entertainment, including topics such as: general foundational concepts, structure of esports and competitions, evaluation of new technologies arising in this field and gender as well as ethical issues and concerns.
The esports industry also offers graduates many career opportunities. Kauweloa hopes to provide support for students, not only as competitive gamers, but also to empower them to create their own destiny in this field, whether it be a web developer, shoutcaster (commentator), analyst, content creator, nutritionist, lawyer or esports experts in media production, marketing, social media or sales.
UH Mānoa is also gearing up to send its first team to an esports tournament, which is tentatively set for April 16. The team, which includes two female players, will participate in a five-week, round-robin event for the game Overwatch.
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