Chiefs to enter E-Sports Arena

By Steve Grace
17/2/22

A major video games sporting event is coming to Exeter.

E-sports has become a major global industry, with players as serious about their discipline as athletes in traditional sports. There's even talk that gaming could become an Olympic event.

With an audience of nearly half a billion people this year far, e-sports are getting serious.

So serious that the glitzy new Exeter College building on Hele Road has a suite of facilities dedicated to the industry. And an industry it has become - worth a billion dollars globally. The college's Esports Academy runs a course for adults in the business and management of gaming.

The college has seriously good players who compete at national level, as well as recently being awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize for embedding digital technology through curriculum innovation.

Now it is set to host the first south west corporate esports tournament, with 16 teams from major organisations and businesses across the region taking part in February.

The Exeter Chiefs are in. Don Armand, who as well as being an international rugby player at the Chiefs, is also the founder of The Gaming Athlete. 

He said: “E-sports is an incredibly important sector for so many reasons. Whether you look at it from a business, participant or spectator point of view, or whether you are young or old, new to gaming or a seasoned gamer, esports is going to develop in a fantastic way. The new tech, businesses, tournaments, and the market as a whole is very exciting, with so much potential.”

The knockout competition will be streamed live for people to tune in remotely, and displayed on the large onsite screen.

Rob Bosworth, deputy chief executive of Exeter College, said: "E-sports is rapidly developing as one of the most participated sports on the planet. Due to the way it’s played, it can be embraced by people of all aspects of society who can compete and engage on a level playing field. We are seeing this as a real change-agent for diversity and inclusivity with our students and the wider community.

“For many this will be the entry point into digital skills, but much further than that, the gaming industry is multifaceted and can involve events management, production and design, media management, not to mention strategic and critical thinking. We are delighted to be supporting the event and hope on the back of the success of this year's launch, we will expand this even further next year."

Tech is already the fastest growing part of the South West economy with e-sports expected to play an increasingly significant role in the sector in the coming decade.

Dan Pritchard, co-founder and director of Tech South West, which is organising February's festival said: “The south west is already at the cutting edge of tech across a variety of specialisms - from marine tech to software, cyber and renewable energy. It’s fantastic to add esports to that impressive portfolio of innovation, and support the growth of what could be one of the UK’s key esports hubs at Exeter College.

“Bolstering the tech talent pipeline in the region is a core part of our work at Tech South West, alongside improving business support for tech companies and helping tech firms to reach investment. The new E-Sports Academy at Exeter College is a brilliant facility and will be instrumental in supporting young people to find great careers in tech.”