Opportunities in Esports
Career Prep…on an Xbox? Take a look at how gaming is becoming a viable career option.
COVID-19 is stealing valuable bonding and recreational time from our kids, and with the power of esports and online gaming, we are taking it back. Our children were gaming before all this and show no signs of hanging up their headsets. How can we turn their passion into a career? Are scholarships available? Degree programs? What opportunities exist? The fact that we’re even asking these questions speaks to the incredible growth the industry has seen.
You already know there are jobs in programming, coding, and game design. But this industry goes way beyond that. It’s an entertainment field like nothing ever seen before. Imagine movies, music, and sports all rolled into one.
The North American Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF) has created this diagram to make things simple:
What about scholarships? As of 2020, there are 171 colleges and universities in the United States that offer scholarships. (link: https://members.nacesports.org/AF_MemberDirectory.asp?pagesize=100&keyword=&intpage=1&page=1&dlist=-1). These colleges actively market esports scholarship opportunities to high school students and recruit high school esports players directly from tournaments. Of course, these scholarships range in value and type, with some offering full-tuition scholarships. But let’s say college isn’t your thing… Are there still options?
In April of 2018, this professional streamer had more social media impressions than Lebron James, Ronaldo, and Shaq, making him the most popular athlete in the world. He makes over $500,000 per month broadcasting his gameplay live on Twitch. He’s raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity. I’m talking about Tyler “ninja” Blevins, and chances are, you’ve already heard of him. Twitch streaming is live gameplay streaming broadcast through an app, and its bee taking off.
Camera shy? Meet Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag. He is the Founder and CEO of “100 Thieves”, a lifestyle brand and gaming organization. He leads the company’s creative, brand, and strategic direction while also sitting on the company’s board of directors. He was named Forbes 30 under 30 for his success as an entrepreneur.
But professional play is just the tip of the iceberg. Any job that exists in sports exists in the gaming world. Gone are the days where you could only make a living in professional gaming if you were in the top 0.001 percent of players in the world. Account managers, business development executives, digital marketers and all the conventional job titles now exist in esports as the industry has reached a size where any skill set can lead to a full-time paid career.
And if it doesn’t exist yet, you can create it! I have a passion for health, teaching, and video games- and combined all three when I created HybridATX. I was lucky to have a natural calling and get in early, and now I educate young gamers to lead their generation into a better future.
COVID-19 may have us socially distanced, but it doesn’t need to mean isolated or stifled. The internet has given us an opportunity to be social regardless of distance, and gaming has given us an opportunity to play, compete and engage from anywhere on the planet.
Learn how to turn your child’s passion into a career through an educational experience that they’ll be excited to attend. Head over to HybridATX.com to see our gaming and health programs.
Imagine how excited your kid will be to do their gaming homework!
Credit: HybridATX L.L.C. Building better gamers through health and fitness education. See the daily agenda: https://hybridatx.com)