Gaming the system: 21 UH students gain invaluable experience points at 2 top esports firms
When you’re a university student roaming the open world of the esports industry, looking to gain experience points to level up your business acumen during the summer, one of the best way to acquire the skills you need is to take on a summer internship mission.
That’s exactly what 21 students from the Mānoa and West Oʻahu campuses of the University of Hawaiʻi did this year, with more than half of them spending several weeks at 2 leading esports companies in South Korea and Hawaiʻi.
Not only did the students get a boost to their education and skill level stats, their success highlights the university’s growing achievements in the skyrocketing field was also .
“Overall, this was another banner year for UH Esports and the initiative we created to get students interfacing with industry,” said UH-Mānoa esports program director Nyle Sky Kauweloa.
The internships aren’t just about playing games — they’re launching pads into a multi-billion-dollar industry.
A 2023 Statista report showed the value of the esports market worldwide is expected to grow to more than $4.8 billion worldwide by 2030.
Twelve students interned at Gen.G and one at T1, which according to a 2022 Forbes article, were among the top 10 most valuable esports companies in the world, placing 8th and 10th respectively.
“Due to [UH Esports] presence, Gen.G has expanded its academic operations within the company to bring in more college students globally for their practicum,” said Kauweloa. “T1 is regarded as the top team in esports within Korea, and normally is much more reluctant with accepting international interns to their company, so to have UH students at both companies in Korea for the summer was an impressive feat for the program.”
UH-Mānoa student Jazmin Horio was UH’s representative at T1.
During her internship, she worked with T1’s business development department, observing various initiatives including partnerships for PC cafés, tourism events and community engagement.
Her main tasks were to propose ideas for a guided tour aimed at foreign audiences and suggest improvements to the fan loyalty program to diversify its demographics.
Horio even got a head start on her internship, spending 4 months in Korea studying abroad at Yonsei University during the spring in Seoul.
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa student Jazmin Horio with Lee Sang-hyeok, also known as Faker, a T1 professional “League of Legends” player. (Courtesy of University of Hawaiʻi)- University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa student Jazmin Horio and UH-Mānoa esports program director Nyle Sky Kauweloa at T1 in South Korea. (Courtesy of University of Hawaiʻi)
- University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa student Jazmin Horio at T1 in South Korea. (Courtesy of University of Hawaiʻi)
“To be able to join and witness how the most prestigious esports organization in the world navigates being at the top of their industry, it will forever remain one of the best experiences of my life,” said Horio. “Not only did I gain experience in a field I am the most passionate about, but I gained a family at T1 that I’ll be sure to keep in contact with for years to come.”
UH-West Oʻahu education major Jaydon Patoc was among the 12 students who interned at Gen.G. It was Patoc’s second year interning with the company.
As part of the education team, Patoc helped create and develop courses for a new Gen.G academy program.
“Being a part of the Gen.G practicum and internship a second year has allowed me to not only see old mentors, but also to meet new mentors and friends as well,” said Patoc. “Through this internship, it has allowed me to develop as a future educator by having experiences in a classroom setting abroad, and developing my own course and lesson plans before I start my student teaching this fall.”
An additional 8 students were part of UH’s second cohort to intern at Vanta Esports in Hawaiʻi.
According to Kauweloa, this internship continues to develop as part of UH Esports‘s mission to support an esports workforce development path in the state.
“The Vanta internship was an incredible opportunity to immerse myself in the rapidly evolving esports industry, particularly in Hawaiʻi,” said UH-West Oʻahu student Binh Phan. “It gave me hands-on experience with analyzing user engagement, auditing [user interface and user experience] and understanding the competitive landscape of platforms like PlayVS and Generation Esports.”
The interns will share more about their experiences Oct. 25 during a networking event with the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship. More details will be announced on the center’s website and social media.
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