Thinking about studying an esports degree? Find out exactly what’s on offer at Confetti from one of our current esports students.
About Rebecca:
Rebecca has studied at Confetti for a number of years, completing a course in Level 3 Games Technology and progressing to the BSc (Hons) Esports Production degree.
After finishing college, where I studied Games Technology, I was lucky enough to be invited to assist in hosting the EVE Online Alliance Tournament with EVE NT at Antenna. I had an amazing time working the event, seeing behind the scenes how a small-scale professional livestreamed event is run – which inspired me to want to work at any event I could. At the time esports had not yet made it to the classroom, with no UK university offering a degree in the subject.
Fortunately, over the last few years, as the esports industry has continued to grow in size, some universities across the UK have started to offer a course in the subject, including Confetti. I chose Confetti as they are a specialist creative institute that provides real industry experience for all students. They are currently in the process of building a new state of the art facility for esports students known as Confetti X, which will provide industry-standard equipment. This space will feature technology such as a multi-event esports venue, broadcast gallery and green screen, scrim, shoutcaster and analyst rooms. I find this very exciting as it will open up more opportunities for all esports students.
Additionally, Confetti’s course concentrates on live events production instead of the general industry – providing support for students wanting to specialise in specific areas like production, visual/audio, casting, hosting, analytics, marketing and more. Only a few weeks into the course I am already being offered the opportunity to assist the marketing team at Confetti, gaining me invaluable experience that I can use beyond the course.
Esports – a booming industry
Esports is often a misunderstood industry, especially with it still being so young, and, like all creative career paths, it takes hard work and dedication to reach your goals. The industry has seen consistent growth over recent years, with an 11% increase in viewership in 2021 from 2020 as well as more and more investments and sponsorships. With this growth there is an increase in jobs available, and luckily, students at Confetti are offered multiple opportunities to work in the industry during their course – such as when they helped host the British Esports Association Student Champs Final in Metronome.
Choosing the right esports degree
When considering esports as a degree it’s important to have an idea of where you would like to take your degree. I’ve asked a couple of my fellow first year students why they decided to study esports production at Confetti.
Here’s a short piece by Rory:
“I’ve had an interest in live events since 2018 where I was the healer and captain for the team, Kjell’s Angels, that won Blizzard’s Mythic Dungeon Invitational Global Finals. Being behind the scenes and seeing how an event of that scale is put together inspired me to create my own grass roots community league. I wanted to develop my skills and take my productions to the next level but didn’t have the technical knowledge to do so. I started looking for courses I could join to accomplish this and straight away Confetti stood out. The tutors at Confetti are all invested in your own personal development and want to help you achieve whatever your goals may be.”
Next, I spoke to Rahul on why he chose Confetti:
“My interest in running live esports events had grown from 2017 when I was transitioning from playing Critical Ops and Call of Duty: Mobile. Realising there was a lack of events in the sector I decided to stop competing and to start managing players and events. This led to me joining Mobile Mayhem, where I currently run their Call of Duty: Mobile European division. I wanted to further develop the skills I have learnt in the industry so I decided to study at Confetti. It stood out from the other universities as it had all the equipment and support to teach me the basics of stuff I didn’t know and to help advance my existing knowledge.”
Tips on helping you choose
For anyone who is interested in this course but is still unsure, I would recommend watching various tournaments through Twitch and Youtube for games you do and don’t play.
Additionally, online you can find many videos such as this Behind the Scenes of PubG and an overview of shoutcasting, plus many more showcasing the work of many different industry professionals.
As well as videos, there are some great books, a favourite of mine being This is esports (and how to spell it) by Paul ‘Redeye’ Chaloner, a veteran, award-winning esports broadcaster.
