STUDENTS ROCKET TO NATIONAL ESPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS

Games design students from Leicester will test their video gaming skills at the finals of the British Esports Student Champs competition on 2-3 July at the Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies in Nottingham. The finals will be broadcast live on interactive livestreaming platform, Twitch.

Students George Hayward, Johnathan Martin, and Jacob Wright, whose team the Eagles will compete in the Rocket League final, are all studying games design at the Wigston Campus of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC).

Over 700 teams and 3,000 players took part in the championships this year and the students are just three of 20 finalists set to compete in the grand final where they will face a team from Halesowen College.

The Student Champs, a series of exciting and competitive grassroots video game tournaments, were designed by British Esports for students aged 12 and over in secondary schools and colleges throughout the UK. Engaging a wide demographic of young people, this extracurricular team-based activity helps to motivate and inspire students to continue in their studies. This year’s competition saw teams compete across a variety of games including Overwatch, League of Legends, Rocket League and VALORANT.

James Tedder, Lecturer in Games Design at NWSLC has been entering British Esports competitions for the last few years. Two of the college’s teams reached the semi-finals which were held in March 2022 with the Monkeys team competing in the League of Legends game. The Eagles successfully fended off competition from the Edinburgh College team to reach the final.

James said, “We are attracting more interest than ever in our esports, games design and digital technologies study programmes. Esports is a huge and growing sector with so many amazing career opportunities. To work in this industry, you need fantastic communication and media skills, the ability to edit video, create graphic design, manage events, and run a business.

“Students at NWSLC learn how to commentate and analyse gameplay and get to use our brilliant facilities here which include a VR vehicle cockpit and the latest IT for gaming platforms. Students also hone their gaming competition skills as part of college’s various custom leagues in addition to the national British Esports Competition. These include game genres including real time strategy, combat, and sports.”

Marion Plant, OBE FCGI, Principal and Chief Executive of NWSLC said, “Congratulations to our students who have done so well to reach the finals of this high-profile skills competition. Digital technology is one of our specialist areas at the college and the number of course options is growing each year.

“According to the Tech Nation report from 2021, the UK’s investment in technology rose by 17 per cent over the previous year and its value to the economy has grown significantly. These market conditions are bringing exciting employment opportunities for our students, and we are well-placed to ensure that they are in a good position to take advantage of career routes in this sector. We wish the Eagles team the very best of luck for the final.”