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A look at an explosive billion dollar industry.

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computer science and information technology

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What is eSports? A look at an explosive billion-dollar industry | CNN

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The profile of competitive gaming is rising worldwide, but there are still plenty who have never heard of it.

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For eSports fans, there's nothing like watching your gaming heroes battling it out in a packed arena. As great as Twitch has been for eSports, watching alongside thousands of likeminded fans, cheering a skillful shot in Call of Duty has to beat sitting in front of a laptop. This weekend, CoD fans will arrive in London to watch the 2015 Call of Duty European Regional Championship at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.

From the Velodrome to the Aquatic Centre and the Olympic Stadium itself, many amazing venues were built for London 2012, but those who went to see the handball would tell you that the atmosphere in the Copper Box couldn't be beaten. Gfinity recognized that it was perfect for eSports, as fans could move around each stand to watch one of four eSports - Counter Strike, Starcraft 2, FIFA and Call of Duty. It was also the biggest venue to date for Gfinity, having previously hosted smaller and exclusive tournaments with limited ticket availability. And with many of the best eSports teams in the world competing, the crowd was treated to a variety of premier eSports players battling for $130,000 in cash prizes.

With almost $11 million at stake for the world's finest Dota 2 teams, Valve needed a venue worthy of hosting an event with the biggest prize pool in eSports history. In fact, with the 10,000 tickets selling out within an hour, many thought that the KeyArena might have been too small before the event kicked off.

It took less than an hour for all 12,000 tickets to sell-out for the League of Legends Season 3 World Championship finals. The previous year, the final was held at LA's Galen Centre, and while The Staples Centre may have only offered an extra 2,000 seats, the prestige of competing at the home of the LA Lakers propelled League of Legends into the big league of spectator entertainment. Players competed for over $2m in an arena steeped in sporting history, and a peak of 8.5 million concurrent viewers (and 32 million overall) made the superstars of LoL worthy, if temporary, tenants.

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The world's biggest and best eSports arenas

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For eSports fans, there's nothing like watching your gaming heroes battling it out in a packed arena. As great as Twitch has been for eSports, watching alongside thousands of likeminded fans, cheering a skillful shot in Call of Duty has to beat sitting in front of a laptop.

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How Has COVID Impacted eSports and Its Technology Needs?

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How Has COVID Impacted eSports and Its Technology Needs?

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When COVID-19 halted traditional sports events in March, the esports industry quickly pivoted and offered virtual entertainment with professional traditional sports players in various events, from the Madden NFL Invitational to NASCAR's virtual racing, which became the highest-rated televised esports event ever.

This is not out of the blue. Esports is a rapidly growing industry, with $4.5 billion of investments in 2018, up from the $490 million in 2017, according to Deloitte. Industry revenue is expected to reach $1.6 billion by 2023, per a Newzoo figure on Statista (see below).

While traditional sports are now beginning to return, esports is not going anywhere. Unsurprisingly, it maintained its momentum and even increased its audience through online streaming options during quarantine. In March alone, Twitch's viewership increased 10% and YouTube Gaming by 15%, according to a VentureBeat graphic on Statista. Furthermore, Twitch's number of active users jumped from 4 million earlier this year to 7.5 million by September (see below figure).

With such a leap in engagement, gamers, professional teams, and collegiate programs are evaluating their AV technology and remote production investments or risk getting left behind.

"COVID-19 has changed the game. Instead of these massive venues, the games are now happening completely remote. The demand for LED displays has been replaced with the need for better broadcast technology with remote capabilities," states Jared Darensbourg, senior sales manager at Panasonic. "Instead of airing the broadcast on ABC or NBC, the production now streams live to Twitch, YouTube, or other social media platforms that encourage engagement."

Gamers can use remote production technology to livestream every minute of gameplay while traditional sports announcers share live commentary. Studio-oriented cameras allow the audience to view both the gamer and announcer's reactions in real-time, making it as dramatic as it would in-person.

"The ability to have high-quality, high-resolution cameras with zero latency is a big component when it comes to gaming or producing games," notes Darensbourg. "The time between when an action happens on your screen to when you see it on your active display is critical. That fast network as well as 4K content improves the audience experience."

Socially distanced events could utilize projectors and displays to showcase stats and highlights to recreate the energy of live competitions with in-person audiences. Cameras to pan the arena and feature individual players can also enhance visuals for at-home viewers.

Thus, the demand for broadcast cameras with remote capabilities has increased. "Panasonic PTZ cameras have been successful in this online streaming transition because of its functionality, features, and control system," says Hamid James, product manager at Panasonic. "The ability to output various resolutions is critical to its success. With PTZ cameras, esports venues and esports directors can pick and choose what format and quality they want to output to the end user, as well as have the flexibility to be able to output to those different social media and streaming platforms without needing any additional hardware."

Remote esports tournaments could also further venture into virtual reality, which Riot Games has utilized in past opening ceremonies for the League of Legends World Championship, from an augmented reality dragon landing on the stadium to a holographic hip hop performance. "A 3D protocol outputs positioning data and allows you to use the PTZ camera in an AR/VR environment," concludes James. "Much of gaming uses Unreal Engine, and the PTZ camera integrates directly with that platform via plugin. This is a crucial feature if you want to create a virtual environment because people can't actually get there, or even just create an engaging experience moving forward."

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How Has COVID-19 Impacted Esports and Its Technology Needs?

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When COVID-19 halted traditional sports events in March, the esports industry quickly pivoted and offered virtual entertainment with professional traditional sports players in various events, from the Madden NFL Invitational to NASCAR's virtual racing, which became the highest-rated televised esports event ever. This is not out of the blue.

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The Future of eSports 2020: The Impact of Covid 19

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The Future of eSports 2020: The Impact of Covid 19

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The Covid-19 pandemic has brought disruption to every industry in the world: both negative impacts and opportunities. The esports industry is no different.
Covid-19 has fuelled sharp growth in viewers and engagement with esports online, and new opportunities - in the enforced, if temporary suspension of traditional sports - to attract mainstream consumers. At the same time, it has dealt a blow to some of the key revenue streams for the esports business, and concerns about esports future growth.

Covid-19's silver lining for esports

Start with the positives. A study by PwC earlier this year found that more than two thirds of under-35 year-olds were playing or watching gaming content during lockdown, while more than half were open to watching gaming or esports specifically.

This has been backed by up research from the online video industry. Analytics firm Stream Hatchet studied viewing trends of gaming streams on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook and Mixer in the second quarter of 2020, claiming that 'watch hours' grew from 4.8bn in Q1 to 7.6bn in Q2, as many countries entered Covid-19 lockdowns.

According to that report, Twitch alone jumped fromn 3.1bn watch hours in Q1 to 5.1bn in Q2, with its average concurrent viewership growing from 1.4 million people in Q1 to 2.4 million in Q2.

Another study, published by StreamElements and Arsenal.gg in May, looked at total viewing hours (i.e. not just games) on the same four esports streaming platforms: Twitch, YouTube, Facebook and Mixer. It claimed that in April alone, more than 3.9bn hours were watched: up by 99% year-on-year.

"While the industry already had momentum coming into this year, sheltering-in-place definitely gave it an extra boost," concluded StreamElements. That's an important point: Covid-19 has accelerated gaming and esports viewing online, but it was already growing well in 2020 before the pandemic struck.

The acceleration is clear though. "By nearly every Twitch measure we looked at, from hours watched and monthly livestreamed channel totals to livestream viewership figures and a language-based teardown of weekly Twitch use, there was a dramatic relative spike starting in March compared with the preceding six months," said IDC's research director of gaming and VR/AR, Lewis Ward, in June.

Also encouraging: the initial shutdown in professional sports leagues created interest from those leagues' organisers in running esports tournaments, and from broadcasters in televising them.

NASCAR averaged more than 1.3 million viewers per event for its series of virtual races in March and April, while football, basketball and Formula 1 all saw popular events, some involving professional sportspeople competing alongside non-sporting celebrities and gaming streamers.

Fox Sports televised the eNASCAR season, while ESPN broadcast a swathe of esports, including the grand final of the Rocket League world championship, to fill the sudden holes in their schedules. Sports and games firm Immersiv has a useful roundup of these and other developments on its blog.

Covid-19 impact on esports: the bad news

The esports industry is not an entirely-online business, however. There has been considerable disruption to its physical-world tournaments and events.

Epic Games is not holding a Fortnite World Cup this year, for example, while planned tournaments for League of Legends, FIFA 20, Hearthstone, Apex Legends, Call of Duty, Rocket League and other key esports games have been postponed or cancelled. Fan gatherings from TwitchCon to BlizzCon have also been affected.

As the lockdown continued, efforts intensified to ensure some of those events could take place entirely online, which brought plenty of challenges to ensure a level playing field for competitors - both in terms of the stability of their internet connections at home, and measures to prevent cheating.

One example: the PUBG Mobile Pro League Americas tournament, which used dedicated servers to ensure parity for players in North and Latin America, as well as software to make sure players were running the right devices - even using cameras to verify their identities.

For its League of Legends European Championship, Riot Games tackled similar issues at very short notice, delivering positive online viewing figures, and a nimble activation with partners Warner Music Group and Kit Kat that reached more than 12 million people on social media, despite the disruption.

The lessons learned with these and many other events during Covid-19 will be useful going forward, helping the esports industry to run more (and smoother) online-only events, even as physical events return in the future.

The financial impact of Covid-19 on the esports industry is still being quantified. Certainly, several companies have reported immediate difficulties. Super League Gaming saw its revenues fall slightly year-on-year, suggesting it was due to a deferral in advertising spending by brands and sponsors in the early weeks of the pandemic. Allied Sports Entertainment saw a similar revenue-dip, as it closed its Las Vegas esports arena when the lockdown began.

That said, esports companies have also been looking beyond their own financial challenges to help with the wider Covid-19 relief efforts. FaZe Clan's Fight2Fund initiative; Twitch's Stream Aid; Riot Games' Mid-Season Streamathon; Team Liquid's Quarathon and 100 Thieves' charity jersey sale were all examples of the esports industry doing its bit, and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process.

What is the future of esports?

Research firm Newzoo has been trying to assess the global esports impact of Covid-19. Early this year, it predicted that total esports revenue would grow to $1.1bn in 2020, including $636.9m. However, those sponsorship budgets were immediately put at risk as the pandemic took hold in March.

Newzoo has since adjusted its forecasts downwards twice. First in April, when it suggested that total revenues would be $1.06bn this year, including a hit of $22m to sponsorship revenues for the esports industry, $15.2m to merchandise and ticketing revenues, and $9.2m to media rights income.

"Our revision has nothing to do with decreased demand (the audience is not smaller) or decreased supply (the number of events organizers want to put on is not fewer)," explained the company. "Instead, our revision is based on a temporary cease in esports activity (or a transition to digital-only events)."

Newzoo's second revision came in July, predicting that global esports revenues will now be $973.9m in 2020, warning that "uncertainty in the market means many companies are decreasing marketing budgets to preserve capital, which will have a knock-on effect on start-of-year revenues for 2021".

Even so, the company expects the industry to be worth $1.2bn in 2021, growing to $1.6bn by 2023. That's the key message coming through so far: that the upwards curve both in terms of esports revenue growth and cultural relevance will continue, even if 2020 is a significant blip in the pace of that growth for the future of the esports industry.

"Gaming, game broadcasting, and professional gaming have been growing in revenue, reach, and relevance for years," wrote investor Matthew Ball, of Epyllion Industries, in April. Ball warned that the Covid-19 audience spike for esports may not be sustainable at that level, but offered optimism about the long-term picture.

"The novel coronavirus will have permanently increased esports' overall economic and cultural trajectory. As a category, it has been popularized and legitimized in an unpredictable and profound way," he wrote. "And in 2020, 2021, 2022 and forever after, there will be more revenue, more funding, more viewership, and better distribution as a result."

PwC's report agreed with this assessment that the future of esports in 2020 still looks rosy. "A post lockdown esports market is likely to attract increased levels of investment and commercial partners. Some will be new to the industry and desperate to get involved," it suggested.

"Esport companies should look to demonstrate to investors a maturing market over the next few months, supported by competent and strategic management teams to drive this. Not only will this blow away some misconceptions, but it will also help unlock a new set of investors, brands and sponsors that have not been available until now."

These and other topics will be discussed during the 'Dealing with Changing Habits' panel at Esports BAR+ Americas, which takes place on 22-25 September. See the whole programme here.

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The Covid-19 pandemic has brought disruption to every industry in the world: both negative impacts and opportunities. The esports industry is no different. Covid-19 has fuelled sharp growth in viewers and engagement with esports online, and new opportunities - in the enforced, if temporary suspension of traditional sports - to attract mainstream consumers.

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Pretty cool benefits to working for TSM. Take a look!

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TSM is just over forty people (and growing) - still a tight-knit group, considering everything that's happended so far.Every week brings new challenges, and every week we work together to meet them together. We also have plenty of fun: happy hours, offsites, workshops, lunches, and a lot of gaming!

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TSM is just over forty people (and growing) - still a tight-knit group, considering everything that's happended so far.Every week brings new challenges, and every week we work together to meet them together. We also have plenty of fun: happy hours, offsites, workshops, lunches, and a lot of gaming!

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"Esports is organized team-based, multiplayer online video gaming. Competitions among collegiate teams and professionals can take place in arenas in front of large audiences, and are streamed on the internet or broadcast on television." - The University of Akron
Esports teams and arenas aren't new to the collegiate landscape. However, the expansion of esports seems to be ramping up at colleges and universities across a wide swathe of higher education.

An advanced Google search within .edu domains yielded about 166,000 results for "esports."

As this reddit post clearly illustrates, the growth of esports in higher education is a fast-moving train that often involves senior leadership:

"I'm staff at my local university and our university president has asked me to help him create an esports team. I'm really just doing some research for him so he can then hand it off to the right people/hire them. We're a good size regional university (9k population, about 6k on campus) with 11 D1 sports and recent appearances in the college World Series, NCAA track and field championships and NCAA basketball tournaments."

The rise of collegiate esports is predicated on three distinct areas: varsity sports, casual gamers (sometimes part of a student organization), and esports-focused degrees/courses. Additionally, facilities, money, wellness, and gender diversity represent important aspects of collegiate esports.
Esports Arenas
You can't really have an esports team, club, or gaming area without an official campus space dedicated to all things related to esports. The proliferation of esports arenas within US and UK higher education has been phenomenal. Filled with the latest PC gaming equipment, chairs that look like they were removed from a Ferrari, and pay to play options, these esports arenas are fast becoming a mainstay within college and university facilities.

A quick Google search for "esports arena" (specifically on .edu domains) came up with more than 3,100 results.

When asked about the fee structure at the recently opened esports arena at the University of Washington, Justin Camputaro, Director of the Husky Union Building (the home of the arena) had this to say:

"Our space must pay for itself. The fees (along with reservations for events in the space) all cover all operating expenses: staffing (biggest expense), game licensing, marketing, and equipment replacement cycles."

Always a fan of informal Twitter polls, I was amazed by the results from this tweet that received 169 votes:

With 45% of respondents saying that they either already had an esports area at their school or that they wished they had one, that paints a fairly clear picture of the status of esports arenas on college campuses.

At Keele University in the United Kingdom, while it's not necessarily an arena per se, they do have a fully kitted out esports gaming lab/suite for students who are part of their esports student society.

Across the pond at the University of California, Irvine, esports have been a "thing" for quite some time. Beginning in 2015, UCI was "the first public university to create an official esports program." Their esports arena is fully decked out with "3,500 sq. ft. space with 72 top-of-the-line iBUYPOWER computers, Logitech gaming gear, and Vertagear chairs."

The largest esports arena in the U.S. is in Florida. Full Sail University has created an 11,000+ square foot esports arena known as "The Fortress."

Apologies to Tiffin University as they used to have the largest collegiate esports arena at a respectable 4,000 square feet.

However, it's important to recognize that size isn't everything when it comes to esports arenas. At Boise State University's new facility, "program leaders are working to install first-generation blue-turf recycled from Boise State's iconic football field in the new space."
Varsity Esports Teams
If your institution has an arena then the next step is usually all about fielding a competitive team.

According to ESPN, there are around 125 varsity esports teams in North America. Although, NACE, the National Association of Collegiate Esports, says that there are currently more than 130 active collegiate varsity esports teams. Which is not to be confused with the Collegiate Starleague (CSL) that boasts of being " the world's first collegiate gaming organization." According to the CSL, their members include over 900 universities and 30,000 players." And then there's Tespa, while not necessarily a varsity-level esports organization, their membership is made up of more than 270 collegiate chapters spanning the U.S. and Canada.

The origins of varsity esports can be traced back to a small college in Illinois. Beginning in 2014, Robert Morris University-Illinois was the first university to include esports as a varsity team.

Inside Higher Ed has been covering esports for several years:

"What was perhaps a wild pipe dream decades ago, merely a Dorito-fueled teenage daydream, has come true: colleges are paying students scholarships to play video games. But hold your gasps of indignation. The concept of collegiate esports has blossomed and become much more organized in recent years. Some smaller private institutions view gaming as a way to attract prospective students amid enrollment downturns, and even a number of Division I colleges and universities have entered this digital arena."

In fact, the amount of money given out in the form of varsity scholarships is astonishing. According to an IHE article from earlier this year, "the current slew of [NACE] member colleges gave out just under $15 million in scholarships this academic year for students to strap on a headset, grab a mouse and keyboard, and enter the digital fray."

In many ways, the creation (and rhetoric) of varsity esports teams/programs sounds very similar to any other collegiate sport:

"Building on the success and growth of the College's esports club, the program's goal is to establish Becker as a championship-driven esports powerhouse. Student-athletes will have access to state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, as well as experienced staff and online training through Boston-based Gamer Sensei, the world's top source for esports coaching. Scholarships of up to $5,000 per year will be awarded to select student-athletes based on ability, academics, communication skills and playing position."
Esports Degrees
Esports majors/minors/degrees/courses might have been a novel phenomenon in the past, but nowadays, colleges and universities are striving to get programs up and running.

In the United Kingdom, one university that is leading the way is Staffordshire University with their BA in Esports as well as a Masters level program. Staffordshire also offers a BA in esports at their new Digital Institute London located in East London.

Across the pond in the U.S., there are a couple of frontrunners in the esports degree-granting space:

At Shenandoah University:

"We recognize the growing power of the esports industry, which is projected to be valued at $1.4 billion by 2020. That's why we've decided to offer the first multi-track esports major in the United States, and the first esports major in Virginia, starting in fall 2019. Shenandoah is the first university in the country to offer this program."

And at Caldwell University:

"A new Bachelor of Science degree in eSports Management will prepare students for careers in the popular electronic sports gaming industry with opportunities for employment in finance, marketing, event planning, operations, and entertainment. The program is one of the first of its kind in the nation and is being offered within Caldwell's School of Business and Computer Science."

For some universities, while a major or minor might not be in place, a course is the next best thing.

At St John's University:

"An undergraduate course focused on the management and administration of eSports was unveiled by the Division of Sport Management. eSports Administration and Management examines the history, development, management, and operation of eSports players, teams, and competitions in contemporary society. St. John's tries to find as many academic connection points as possible. There are plans to offer classes where students learn how to write the code for the games, as well as how to advance in the field as broadcasters, managers, and marketers for eSports."

A general trend in the academic side of esports seems to be all about being "the first" in a particular program or focus. And that makes a lot of sense because the rise of esports at the college level could potentially be an important source of funding.
Big Money "Esports (not just within colleges) are expected to be valued at $1.4 billion by next year."
The massive growth and interest in esports represents a boon for institutions in need of a recruitment/financial boost (at least within U.S. HE). Partnerships with the gaming industry aren't unlike other collegiate athletics deals with various corporations.

According to the UCI Division of Continuing Education:

"Traditional athletic apparel companies such as Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour are expected to compete for team jersey rights in the coming years and major telecom companies are acquiring gamer centric programming providers.
Gender Diversity "About 90 percent of students on NACE teams are men."
According to the UW's Camputaro:

"[Gender diversity] is a very real concern that we talk about. Unfortunately, we do not have as good of answers to this. Right now we are focused on talking about this a lot with the gaming student organizations and talk about a grassroots environment of being open and welcoming. Also actively encouraging women that the space and gaming is welcome to them. However, what we cannot control is the online arena where players are in other places that do have negative talk against women. This topic is one that we have agreed to tackle head on over this next year, especially as we build out a competitive program, to focus on co-ed [gaming] and inclusivity."

UC Berkeley's Esports program has started an initiative aimed at "making gaming more inclusive for women at Cal and increasing female presence for Cal Esports programs.":

"One of Student Affairs' priorities is gender diversity in gaming. The Student Affairs' Business Development team has established a working group, which includes representatives from the Women in Science & Engineering (WiSE) theme program, women who live in foothill, Residential Education, and students in the gaming community, to develop our Women in Gaming initiative. The Women in Gaming Initiative's key goals include: equality, empowerment, and integration."
Digital Wellness
Having played a fair amount of PC games myself, the issue of wellness for esports participants is an important issue. Both physical and mental well-being are important for esports.

The health of esports competitors was recently highlighted in IHE's Academic Minute podcast.

At the UW, wellness is top of mind for esports arena managers. Camputaro has set up structures that encourage participants to take breaks and disconnect:

"Wellness is a big conversation point for us. For the immediate plan, wellness is around the question of the amount of time playing. We have a few ways we're tackling that now (and hopefully more to come): 1) by charging (vs free) we are hopeful students make good financial decisions to limit their play, 2) we only let people buy up to 10 hours at a time, 3) we don't allow food/drink in the space (these two items encourage people to have to get up and leave the space for basic needs, 4) our staff regularly roam the space and get to know the guests...this allows us to identify if anyone has been there a bit too long and we can help counsel them regarding [taking a break from playing]."
What's Next?
There's a really good chance that the NCAA will either try to compete directly with NACE as a governing association for collegiate esports or they will just absorb them into their gigantic organization.

Also, the creation of esports arenas, student clubs, and infrastructure seems to have a strong push from student affairs divisions, notably the student union / auxiliary services side of things.

It really will be fascinating to see how collegiate esports evolve with the combination of student affairs involvement, the proliferation of athletic scholarships / varsity teams, and academic-oriented esports programs.
Do you tweet? Let's connect. Follow me on Twitter. Image Credit

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An Epic Update on Collegiate Esports | Student Affairs and Technology

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"Esports is organized team-based, multiplayer online video gaming. Competitions among collegiate teams and professionals can take place in arenas in front of large audiences, and are streamed on the internet or broadcast on television." - The University of Akron Esports teams and arenas aren't new to the collegiate landscape.

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What It's Like to Be a College eSports Player

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What It's Like to Be a College eSports Player

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What it's like to be a college esports player | Launcher

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You don't need to be a professional gamer to land a job within esports, but what other options are available? How can someone open doors and earn a living in the industry? We outline the options.

Esports is a growing area that offers several viable career options to people, though it may not yet be common knowledge to everyone.

There is still a misconception held by some that playing video games is a waste of time and not constructive or valuable to a person's development or career. But esports actually presents job seekers with genuine opportunities.

Esports is set to generate almost $500m in global revenues in 2016, and there are more companies getting involved in this space than ever before. This means there are more jobs becoming available, both for newcomers and those already experienced within the industry.

What kind of jobs are there?

There are many different roles within esports - some more hands-on than others - and more non-endemic companies are opening esports divisions or adding roles that work within the space.

Here's a selection of some of the more well-known jobs in esports. Click here to visit our careers hub and see more details on each one.

Professional player

Shoutcaster/host

Coach/analyst

Journalist/content creator

PR/Marketing executive

Product manager

Sales/partnerships manager

Admin/referee

Organisation owner/manager

Community/social media manager

Broadcast/production crew

Event manager

Agent

Other roles (statistician, lawyer, finance, support etc)

Other gaming careers (developers, publishers, distribution etc)

How can I or my children start a career in esports?

There are several ways to get your foot in the door. Firstly, the good news is there are more jobs in esports than ever before, which means it's easier than it was to get involved - and get paid for it.

The bad news is it usually requires a lot of hard work and dedication, and it can get pretty competitive, so you'll want to make sure it's something you're passionate about.

Here are five ways to kick-start a career in esports.

1. Work experience is a good starting point.

Reach out to teams, organisations, tournament providers, broadcasters and other companies that sponsor or are involved in esports in some way. Try and contact a senior person or someone you want to work with in particular. The bigger the company you go for, the more likely you'll be able to book in some work experience, but going for a smaller organisation has its upsides, especially if you're looking for a more hands-on role.

Getting a valuable work experience placement involves a degree of luck, so try to contact respected companies and friendly individuals who will take the time to give you an insight into the world of esports and help you develop your skills. Try and secure a placement in a field you're interested in, but if you're not sure, we'd suggest completing two or three placements in different areas to help you decide what you want to do.

If you're on work experience and aren't being given many tasks, why not ask questions, show enthusiasm and come up with suggestions as to what you can do? Making a good impression can go a long way, you never know what contacts an employer will have or what doors could open in the future following a good work experience placement.

2. Find a niche.

Being an all-rounder has its benefits, but focusing on one area and specialising in it can go a long way.

Read up on the various job roles outlined above and try to identify an area you want to get involved in.

If you have great communication, writing and social media skills, for example, you could hone in on journalism, PR and marketing. Maybe look into each area and do some work experience to help decide what you want to go into.

You might be an expert in Counter-Strike and feel confident in your casting or analysis skills, or you might love Call of Duty and want to work for an organisation specifically within that game, for example. Identify what you're interested in and go from there.

3. Become a volunteer.

There are several companies that are often on the lookout for paid-for and unpaid volunteer positions.

A good example is Multiplay, the UK-based tournament provider that hosts its Insomnia gaming festivals throughout the year.

You could volunteer as event staff, help with the running of tournaments, sit on reception, offer tech support, help the show run smoothly and assist visitors. Reach out to the likes of ESL and Gfinity to see if they have any positions available.

The benefits of volunteering include gaining valuable experience, getting involved with an event for free and having something to add to your CV. Prospective employers will likely be impressed if you have volunteered or completed work experience placements and have a glowing review from whoever you volunteered with.

4. Just do it

A great way to learn, hone your skills and improve is to just start doing whatever it is you want to get paid to do.

"Don't let your dreams, be dreams, just do it," a wise man once said (or it may have been Shia LaBeouf).

If you want to be a pro player, put the practice in and try to join a local team to start with. If you want to be a journalist, start a blog, write regularly and promote your content on social media. If you want to be a caster, get casting! Several impressive UK casters started at the National University Esports League and have built their career from there.

Consider studying a degree, becoming an apprentice or taking another further education course to specialise in a specific area, for example marketing or business studies.

Taking the initiative will gain you new contacts, open doors, improve your skills and impress prospective employers.

5. Stay on the lookout

Once you know what you want to do and have built up some experience, sign up to job alerts online, follow the kind of companies you want to work for and check for job openings.

Some esports job sites include:

It's a good idea to just generally be on the lookout for jobs. Try and get into a routine and check once a day or once a week. It can be hard to stay motivated at this time, but if you keep on working at it and talking to people, jobs will come up.

Internships are also a good option, but be clear with the length of time you are available to work and salary expectations before applying.

Salaries can vary enormously depending on the position. Take a look at the specific job roles outlined above for specific details on each one, including potential salary info.

6. Go down the education route

With more and more esports jobs cropping up around the world, educational establishments are catching on.

There are many colleges in North America already offering scholarships in esports, and more UK colleges and universities are integrating esports into their courses or offering standalone esports courses.

It's worth noting this is a growing and largely unproven area at the moment, many of these courses are new and you will obviously need to factor in the cost of attending.

You can see a list of some of the UK colleges and universities offering esports courses here:
Education and esports: Which colleges and universities are offering courses?

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Getting a career in esports: What you need to know & how to get started - British Esports Association

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You don't need to be a professional gamer to land a job within esports, but what other options are available? How can someone open doors and earn a living in the industry? We outline the options. Esports is a growing area that offers several viable career options to people, though it may not yet be common knowledge to everyone.