Esports Will Soon be a University Degree in the Philippines – Here’s What the Industry Thinks
Tier One Entertainment at ESGS 2019. (Source: Tier One)
A long-time dream in the making, Tier One announced their partnership with the Lyceum University of the Philippines to create a dedicated university course for esports in the country.
As esports grows, organizations have started building on the infrastructure that supports the industry. Founder of Tier One Entertainment Irymarc “TryQ” Gutierrez explained how the course will be geared towards developing professionals handling the “backend operations” in esports.
Player development, logistical support, management are but a few pillars that allows high-level competition in esports to thrive. With the esports curriculum being pushed for approval through CHED, we gathered the community sentiment of esports professionals on the creation of the Bachelor of Science in Esports degree.
Leo Gaming, Mobile Esports Broadcaster
Dan “Leo” Cubangay a veteran broadcaster for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang held an episode of his podcast Off the Record discussing the implications of the degree with fellow industry professionals.
“Our industry and disciplines need more legs and foundations. It feels like such a big leap to suddenly create a course.”
According to Leo, a slow but steady implementation of the degree with greater community involvement from within the industry can better assure its success. Citing that certification programs, workshops, mentorship, [or] even units in an established course can be a good start for esports in education.
Gerald Sobrepeña, Marketing and Player Development Manager at Liyab Esports
On the same page, Gerald player dev. for Liyab Esports expressed how it’s “too early” for a 4-year esports course to be introduced in the country.
“Who’s going to be teaching this esports course?”
Furthermore, he stated how collegiate professors are required to at least have a master’s degree which begs the question if there are individuals qualified to teach esports in the Philippines.
Ariane Lim, Director of Esports AcadArena
Spearheading the development of campus esports within the country, Ariane Lim has had a direct involvement with universities’ esports program and has been doing so for the past few years.
“In 8 to 10 years, will there be enough companies to support graduates specializing in this 4-year course?”
With the creation of the very-first esports degree in the country, fellow universities will be sure to follow in LPU’s footsteps. Which means, there will be a surge of graduates to enter the industry. As the industry steadily grows and changes throughout the years, the Philippine esports market will drastically change as time comes.
To sum it all up, esports professionals are hopeful yet justifiably cautious about the implementation of the degree in the Philippines. As CHED looks over Tier One’s proposed curriculum, the esports community will have to wait and see what it has prepared for future undergraduates.
Tier One Entertainment and Lyceum University of the Philippines are forging a path for esports in the coming decade where their success can start a wave that will continue the industry’s growth for the years to come.
Esports Inquirer has no official stance on the matter at hand and solely aims to further discussion.
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