Esports continues to make its way to the mainstream of society, and with it is coming plenty of jobs and attention from big corporations. So, how do you get a job in this industry? The esports minor program can help.

Esports has become a massive industry over the last decade and continues to grow rapidly. Fortune Business Insights predicts the esports industry, which is already worth over $1 billion, will grow to be almost $5.5 billion by the end of the decade.

Esports is the playing of video games competitively, usually for some form of prize, and its growth has been catapulted by the entrance of gaming into the forefront of society.

“There is always this misconception when it comes to esports,” said Steven Toepfer, a Kent State professor who taught the first Esports Management course. “People tend to think it’s just a bunch of kids playing video games, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Toepfer was one of the originators of the idea of creating an esports program and esports minor at Kent.

“In today’s world, the esports minor is a necessary program at any university and could easily develop into a full major program as the industry grows,” Toepfer said. “It is a huge selling point for companies within esports.”

One of the main misconceptions about the esports industry is that you must be a great player to make it in esports, but that is not the case. Esports, just like any other field, has jobs in every category whether it be communications, journalism, health care, sales and everything in between.

“The esports minor can be paired with, and work well with so many different major programs,” said professor Turan Koptur, who teaches the competitive gaming course in the esports minor. “You could really combine this with so many jobs, and open so many doors and opportunities that may not have been available otherwise.”

Along with the organizations within esports themselves, larger corporations that usually would not be thought of in relation to video games are looking for candidates with this type of knowledge. A few of these corporations include Coca-Cola, T-Mobile, Mobil 1 and Red Bull.

These large companies sponsor many esports teams and events and require people with knowledge of the industry to work with the people and teams they sponsor.

Koptur thinks that the opportunity is an important one for students who have a passion for video games to consider, no matter their current major.

“There is a huge opportunity in this business, and I can call it a business because it is a billion dollar industry,” Koptur said. “I think it is important for every university to have this, because it gives students the opportunity to do something that they are truly passionate about which is amazing and unique.”

Adam Kring is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].