Education – esports sleeping giant
Esports investment in Australia and New Zealand is on the rise, fuelled by the backing of the big names like Adelaide Crows, Bastion and Bombers, and pioneers such as David Harris from Guinevere Capital (joining forces with Dire Wolves in 2016).
Interest is rising and in turn, investment is continuing a growth trajectory.
In recent years, the focus has been very much turned towards team and player development, with a smattering of large events (such as Gfinity) and smaller privately-invested local leagues.
Following the news of the newly founded QeSports venture, the question begs of where the money will be invested next as the options for growth in ANZ are seemingly limitless. Â
Currently in Australia and New Zealand, there is a gap in the market regarding esports education and although gaming clubs at universities have been around for years, and high school esports leagues are emerging – organisations such as AEL, Legacy, Flaktest Gaming currently venturing into the education space – there is no ‘formal’ tertiary education regarding esports.
The South East Asian esports education sector is booming with the success of complete esports focused courses and universities, which create high-quality professional players and management roles, thanks to courses focusing on gaming and esports management.
(https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/in-chinas-esport-schools-students-learn-it-pays-to-play)
(http://says.com/my/sports/academy-of-esports-nusajaya-johor)Â
In contrast, these are glaring holes that formal education does not cover in ANZ and there is an obvious lack of education in regards to integral parts of running a successful esports business: understanding contracts, writing proposals and navigating sponsorships.
Esports education start-ups will undoubtedly surface in the next 12 months as more and more companies get on board.Â
A live podcast recording to get introduced into this space will be held by Chris Smith and Rohan Sawyer from QeSports in Canberra on August 16th.
