Welcome to your Esports course

Welcome to University of Staffordshire

We know you're already passionate about your subject, which is why we're excited you've chosen University of Staffordshire as the place to turn possibility into reality.

To give you an insight into what life as an Esports student is like, your course leaders have prepared introductions to the course and further activities.

Welcome to Esports at Staffordshire University, designed and developed with voices from industry to introduce you to the wider ecosystem and help prepare you for a digital world.

Course delivery

You’ll experience a variety of course delivery throughout your time on the course so that learning can scaffolded effectively.

The course operates with three modules in each of two semesters. Within these modules, teaching will vary dependent on the content. You will often have a lecture within a large lecture space with your peers from the rest of the year or have smaller sized seminar/workshop sessions with 20-30 students.

You may also be timetabled for technical instruction and/or library sessions to develop skills needed to develop in both an employability and academic aspect. As an Esports program, we regularly run and support student-led extracurricular events and activities throughout the year which we encourage student participation to develop individual learning, experience and portfolios.

Semester one activities

Semester one of Level 4 contains 3 compulsory modules that you will be taking as a part of the curriculum.

Esports in Context [40 Credits]

What is esports and why is it important in the first place? Esports in Context spans both semesters within your first year of study and will dive into the key concepts, cultures and pressing topics of the esports ecosystem, including how esports has developed, the importance of competitive culture within society and where the industry is poised to go next. This module will also act as an introduction to the teaching of academic writing and research.

Multi-disciplinary Teamwork [20 Credits]

Barely any parts of the esports sector (or any adjacent industry) exist with people working in isolation. In your first few weeks on this module, you will be developing your understanding of the role you play as an individual within a team environment and how to effectively work within various team dynamics and redefine your abilities to overcome obstacles as a group.

Live Broadcasting Technologies [20 Credits]

Broadcasting is an already technically advanced area and continues to innovate, but esports audiences demand a more engaging platform to live their experiences. In this module, students will learn what considerations are desired from a broadcast creation process, looking at broadcast workflows and getting a hands-on experience with technical equipment to build a foundation of production skills.

Before you start

Although pre-learning is not mandatory, we encourage you look to engage with relevant esports material that will develop your understanding of its current positioning and where it has come from.

Some good starting points are:

The Esports Research Report [Podcast – Esports Research Network]

Watch Me Play: Twitch and the Rise of Game Live Streaming [Book – T.L Taylor]

Raising the Stakes: E-Sports and the Professionalization of Computer Gaming [Book – T.L Taylor]

Equipment and course specific software

We will supply access to any software or equipment that you will need to complete the course, but if you wish to complete assignment work at home, you may benefit from some form of computer (pc or laptop) that can at least handle word processing.

As a student at Staffordshire University, you have access to a range of software that we have licenses for. Not all of these are used for esports, but if you have an interest you can still download and use them as a student.

Download software

Trips and activities

We run a range of trips each year however these are usually designed and developed in relation to the Esports schedule and events calendar. For example last year we took students to the Apex global series in London. With the year prior taking students to the Czech republic and EGX.

As a program we like to engage with a range of trips each year, which however are usually designed and developed in relation to the Esports schedule and events calendar – as such we don’t shout about it too far in advance!

We often have a portion of students that volunteer to work at EPIC.LAN, and attend with students regularly to experience the heart of esports communities and provide students with an experience to shadow in some of the roles that make it happen.

We’re also really excited about how our engagement with trips and activities is growing!

Social Groups

There are a range of esports and video game-related societies at the university which run alongside the students union.

We have a range of esports-related societies at the university which run alongside the students union, such as Staffs Esports, Staffs Smash & the VGU.

There are also plenty of special interest societies that are worth exploring and can enhance your university experience tenfold!

 All of these can be found at the link attached Clubs and Societies (staffsunion.com)

Course Hoodies/Uniforms

Whilst we do not require any particular uniform for the course, you are expected to dress smart when engaging in relevant activities.

If you are presenting a pitch to course staff, which may include industry guests, or engaging at an industry networking conference you are expected to present yourself and represent the course professionally.

Meet the team

Joshua Wales-Ferguson

Senior Lecturer

Josh is a project manager and final-year lead in the esports department. His main area of interest is business development, broadcast production and contemporary uses of marketing in the esports industry.

Joshua's profile

Philip Cooke

Senior Lecturer

Phil is a Lecturer on the Esports course at Staffs. Specialising in Marketing, Broadcasting & Events, Phil has experience working on a variety of events globally before moving on to the lecturer team.

Philip's profile

Joshua Jarrett

Senior Lecturer

Josh is a Senior Lecturer specialising in Esports, who joined Staffordshire University in September 2019. Josh’s ongoing research interests include co-creative player relations, free-to-play monetisation, grassroots esports and platform governance.

Joshua's profile

Dr Ying-Ying Law

Course Director - Esports

Ying-Ying is a sociologist and an active researcher in digital cultures. Her main area of interest includes video gamer culture, communities, play, esports, research methods and gender studies from a sociological perspective.

Ying-Ying's profile

Thomas Evans

Lecturer

Tom is a lecturer specialising in Events Management/Tournament Operations, originally completing his undergraduate study in Game Design before completing a Masters degree in Esports, Tom is currently studying alongside lecturing to complete a PgCHPE.

What to expect on Welcome Week

We're so excited for you to join us on campus and to welcome you to where you matter. During your welcome week you'll be able to meet our friendly student services teams, connect with new friends, join societies, explore on-campus venues attend club nights and much more.

We look forward to welcoming you in September.

Esports Course Team

for Career Prospects

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

for Facilities

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

for Social Inclusion

The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023

of Research Impact is ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Very Considerable’

Research Excellence Framework 2021

of Research is “Internationally Excellent” or “World Leading”

Research Excellence Framework 2021

Four Star Rating

QS Star Ratings 2021