Have you ever thought of esports being a subject in school?
The world of esports is just getting bigger and bigger day by day. According to statistics posted on the website of Fortune Business Insights, a publisher that delivers market research reports, the global market size of esports was valued at $1.45 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow to $6.75 billion by 2030. Right now, there are around 234 million esports enthusiasts worldwide.
Esports, short for electronic sports, is a type of competition that makes use of video games, such as multiplayer video game competitions, typically between professional players or teams.
Technology company Dell recently conducted a study that found out that half of the school students in the United Kingdom believe esports as a subject in school can improve their career prospects. Here’s the news.
Esports as a subject
Fifty percent of school students in the United Kingdom say they would like to see more technology-related subjects – such as esports – in the curriculum to enhance their career prospects.
Dell worked with Intel, the British Esports Federation, and Dr. Eliza Filby to produce a study to determine what students aged 11 to 17 think can improve their career prospects. Technology-related subjects such as esports came out of the research.
Thirty-seven percent of the respondents said their school’s technology is updated and positively impacts their career prospects. However, 43 percent said their current school curriculum is outdated and does not give them what they precisely need to succeed in their careers. Meanwhile, 45 percent believe their teachers can offer these technology-related subjects because they understand technology.
Esports will give an edge in a job interview
The students asked in the survey also said there are skills they can learn from esports that would give them an edge in a job interview. These skills include information and communication technologies (ICT), digital literacy, collaboration tools, critical thinking, metacognition, and communication skills, among others.
They also shared that esports would provide them practical and hands-on experience as they get involved in particular industries. Esports, they added, can also develop the skills needed for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects. Some of them also said esports as a subject would help them stand out above the rest when qualifying for higher education.
“The research findings are significant; they show an appetite and, therefore, an opportunity for esports to be part of a new, diverse, and future-ready curriculum,” Dell’s UK Education Sales Director Brian Horsburgh said. “While some may consider esports an unconventional education pathway, it can help foster the 21st-century skills necessary for the workplace of tomorrow.”
