College Esports
Collegiate esports, also known as university esports, has grown significantly after 2010, with many universities—more than 60% in the US alone— nowadays having their own varsity esports programmes and college scholarships based on gaming talent. It is an impressive leap, considering that the first official varsity esports programme was only developed in 2013 by an associate athletics director, Kurt Melcher, at Robert Morris University. Before then, esports clubs were formed and run by students. The university's programme was immensely successful, and other educational institutions across the Western Hemisphere quickly followed in its footsteps.
Scouting for Talent
Most people are probably aware of talent scouts and educational institutes focusing on finding and developing talent for traditional sports. A lesser-known fact is that this also happens in esports, especially in nations where esports is very much present. In countries such as China, Korea and the USA, programmes are set in motion to foster young talents into the professionals of tomorrow, backed by esports organisations, universities, and sometimes even government authorities.
Learning Esports
After the skyrocketing growth of esports created a need for new talent in the workforce, educational institutes quickly reacted by supplying this demand. While no Western educational establishments had esports-related fields of study in 2014, just a few years later, many universities and colleges in the USA, Germany, France and other Western countries started their first esports courses, mainly in sports and business management, focusing on esports.
