William Callaghan, a Hartlepool student has earned a place at Manchester’s UCFB Etihad Campus where he will study for a degree in Esports. Callaghan will be the first person in the town to study for a degree in the aforementioned field.
Although gaming has long been seen as a hobby for majority, Hartlepool College of Further Education is changing the perception as it aims to turn young ambitious people into eSports experts, which is why it launched a Level 3 Esports course with Callaghan being the first of the first group.
19 year old Callaghan, who is a former student at English Martyrs and Sacred Heart schools in Hartlepool said, “I would like to be part of an esports media team involved in the live streaming. I like to be on camera so it would be nice to be at the front of something, maybe shout-casting which is like being a commentator. There are actually so many jobs in esports.”
“There is the huge business side of things, but there is also the psychological side of it you learn during studies which helps with your general health, fitness and overall well-being. I’m looking forward to learning even more about it at uni where things will become even more in-depth”, said Callaghan.
Callaghan will be on his way to Manchester in September to commence his journey as an Esports undergraduate student.
The first of many
Paul Donnelly, an eSports lecturer at Hartlepool College said, “It’s fantastic. William will be one of the first people in the country to go on such a course because university courses in that area have only just started doing it. This has been a huge experience for them all. They have developed so many different skills from doing the esports qualification at college. Their attitudes, confidence, general knowledge, problem-solving and employability skills have all improved massively.
“Take Will for example, he now has a fully focused career path ahead of him and he is showing that Esports is a viable career option. This is the start of a new generation of new opportunities and I am so proud this group of students will be at the forefront of that.”
Esports is growing rapidly across the world as a professional and competitive gaming. The likes of Asia, US and Europe have already embraced eSports within its culture as well as society. Professional gaming has slowly become a viable career choice.
Isa Muhammad is a writer and video game journalist covering many aspects of entertainment media including the film industry. He's steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism and enjoys staying informed. If he's not reading, playing video games or catching up on his favourite TV series, then he's probably writing about them.
