Esports – Rio

BTEC Extended Diploma in Esports

What sparked your interest in Esports and why did you choose to study Esports here with us at Dearne Valley College?

‘I have been interested in technology since I was young, pairing that with my competitive nature and drive to constantly seek improvement, Esports was the obvious choice for me and Dearne Valley College just ticked all the correct boxes, it was exactly what I wanted to do!’

How has DVC, or your tutors supported you throughout your time here at College?

‘The tutors here at Dearne Valley College have helped me in numerous ways, from helping with areas of the assignment criteria I am unsure on, to them getting into College early – as I arrive at college around 7:20am every morning and without Richard and Callum being in I wouldn’t be able to get any work done before my lessons are scheduled to start.

Not to mention the independence they grant us with massively helps me with being on top of my work.’

What opportunities for personal or professional development have been made available to you whilst you have been studying here with us?

‘The College has helped grow my confidence in social skills by leaps and bounds – before coming to Dearne Valley College I would easily say one of my main weaknesses was my ability to communicate and present myself how I wanted – now its second nature!

I am extremely grateful for the opportunities the College has provided me with, from the leadership course to the London BETT Event, the skills and experience I have gained from these is a massive help in life.’

What part of your course have you enjoyed the most?

‘The part of the course I have enjoyed the most would have to be learning of the numerous different areas within the Esports industry and how they are all connected – from the business aspects to the game design. They all come together and form one of the world’s fastest growing industries.’

What is one common myth or misconception about your course that isn’t true?

‘Esports is often perceived as “just gaming” – this could not be further from the truth, sure the main highlight of Esports is the players who compete, however much similarly to sports Esports has a plethora of different jobs and areas within their industry, from technicians to dietary coaches to social media managers, Esports has everything.’

What advice would you give to parents or adults who are sceptical about Esports and what it teaches, to help them understand what Esports is.

‘The main advice I would give is for them to analyse an esports event – try to name each individual job role that had to contribute in order for you (the audience) to see and experience their esport.

I can guarantee there is a lot more than you may imagine, not to mention majority of those jobs are transferable into other industries – for example an event organiser will have the skills to organise events for other industries, a social media manager can manage the social media of any industry, these jobs have the most flexibility among any other industry.’

How do you find the facilities that are available to you on your course?

‘The facilities we are provided with at Dearne Valley College are top notch and we are fortunate to have these!’

Dearne Valley College offers students access to a robust array of resources including the high-specification rooms and PCs, we demonstrate a commitment to providing students with state-of-the-art technology.

Alongside these facilities the College has also recently just bought eight Formula 1 racing simulators that are endorsed by Williams Motorsport!

What are your next steps and future plans?

‘My plans for the future are to make my way into the programming industry, and my skills and qualifications I will achieve here at Dearne Valley College will massively help me in this, for example last year the College was chosen to run the first leadership course alongside some other colleges and I was selected to take this course – it taught me many skills and even provided me with a leadership qualification which will drastically help me when it comes to finding a job.’