The university for video gamers: Chinese institute launches new course to train students to beat digital rivals
- At Shenyang City University, students learn how to play and produce games
- Lessons are given to 160 teenagers in the institute’s own video-gaming arena
- Came after a Chinese team yesterday won the ‘League of Legends’ world title
- China is a key eSport market and hundreds of thousands of talents are needed
A Chinese university has launched a new video-gaming course to train teenagers to beat their rivals in the digital world.
The lessons, which are taught in the institute’s own glitzy gaming lab, aim to provide talent for the country’s booming eSports industry which is worth some £116 million.
At Shenyang City University, students learn how to play, produce, promote and provide professional commentary for video games, teachers told Chinese media.
A female student is pictured taking a video-gaming course at Shenyang City University, China
Li Gang, the deputy chancellor of the university in north-eastern China, said the institute decided to set up the elective course after Chinese team Invictus Gaming won the world championship of online game ‘League of Legends’ last year.
Mr Li told BJ News: ‘The course cultivates not only video game players, but also talent who can analyse games, test games, host games, run clubs and organise tournaments.’
The university rolled out the course to its 160 students at the Journalism and Communications College this March.
Chinese team FunPlus Phoenix lift the Summoner’s Cup following its victory in the 2019 League of Legends World Championships at AccorHotels Arena on Sunday in Paris
FunPlus Phoenix (pictured) is the second Chinese team to win the title after Invictus Gaming
One student, named Yang Yuhai, said that he wanted to be a video game promoter and referee after graduation.
Another female student, named Tang Ting, said she wanted to learn to play video games as well as boys.
Tang told Pear Video: ‘My parents don’t support my decision, but I believe I can strike a balance between studying and playing video games. ‘
Sun Wenyuan, a teacher of the course, said he wanted to tell society that gaming was not just about playing.
‘It is backed an entire eSports industry which in China has a shortage of 260,000 professionals this year,’ he told Pear Video.
Shenyang City University is not the only school that has offered video-gaming class.
The news came a day after Chinese gaming team FunPlus Phoenix lifted the Summoner’s Cup in Paris after beating Europe’s G2 Esports 3-0 in the world championship finals of online game ‘League of Legends’.
China is a key eSport market and professional gamers enjoy super-stardom among the younth
The Lanxiang Technical School in eastern China is one of the first academies in the country to launch such a course.
The school, situated in the city of Jinan in eastern China, kick-started the £1,470-per-year eSports major in 2017 and attracted 50 students in its inaugural year.
China is a key eSport market. In 2017, more than 40,000 fans flocked to Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium to watch the final of the world championships for League of Legends.
Last November, Invictus Gaming became the first Chinese team to win the title of the 2018 League of Legends World Championship.
The multi-million-dollar club was established by Wang Sicong, the son of mega-rich property tycoon Wang Jianlin. Its members enjoy super-stardom among the country’s youth.
ESports are to be included as a medal sport for the first time at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou and proponents are pushing for Olympic status.
