Esports Certification? Yep, it's for real.

Gaming, at $170B in revenue, is the largest entertainment industry in the world, and esports is a fast-growing and very desirable segment of the overall gaming industry.? It is, therefore, no surprise that esports courses and certifications are popping up globally.

That said, working professionals in the esports industry have historically been very skeptical of freshly launched 'esports certification' professional development programs.

There are many valid reasons to be a bit skeptical about any announced esports certification program, including:

• Lack of experience and/or good intent --? Is this a well-thought-out deliberate approach or rashly implemented?? Is this the provider’s first rodeo?? Or is there a track record of success in professional development and workforce development?
• Lack of subject matter knowledge -- The esports industry is growing and evolving rapidly which means a dynamic set of associated jobs, job descriptions, functional skills, and tools.? Does the program have access to teachers with deep industry experience?? Are those teachers in fact still active in the industry so they keep the course content relevant as the industry evolves?
• Lack of workforce connections to the industry -- Is there a direct pipeline to internships and entry-level positions across multiple companies and types of companies?
• Lack of credentialing -- Can the curriculum advance a degree program or otherwise earn college credits for students who desire that?? On the other hand, can it also accommodate professionals for whom a degree is not important?
• Lack of capital and/or infrastructure --?Can the implementation partners sustain & scale a program?

So, when shopping for a program please consider all of the factors above.

The Georgia Film Academy - in cooperation with multiple industry partners - has now piloted and launched a Certification program in Digital Media, Gaming & Esports.

I HIGHLY recommend this GFA Digital Media, Gaming & Esports Certification for the following reasons:

• History of Successful Workforce Development in Entertainment. The Esports Certification was developed from the template proven by the Georgia Film Academy for the Film and TV production industry.? The GFA is a not-for-profit program established in 2015 to meet the education and workforce needs of careers in the creative industries and is a collaboration between the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia.? GFA has now certified over 10,000 students who were trained on Antman, Thor, Godzilla, Spiderman, Walking Dead, Insatiable, Zombieland 2, The Originals, Ozark - over 100 major Feature film and TV productions. This same approach to workforce development via industry partnerships is now being applied to Digital Media, Gaming & Esports.
• Instructors with Deep Industry Experience. Program instructors and guest speakers are working professionals from the gaming and esports industry.? As an example, the Fall 2021 Hosting & Casting instructor is Ryan Bailey of Hi-Rez Studios (8 years of radio broadcast experience followed by 5 years of full-time esports hosting & casting experience).? Esports Events instruction was taught by Dmitri Shan (4 years of esports event experience across multiple games and tournaments from grass-roots to arena events).? Bespoke courses have been designed in conjunction with the different esports org types and needs be that game publisher, event production, team org, talent management, and so forth. ? As an adjunct instructor myself, I can vouch for the quality of the content.
• Hands-On Training at Esports Industry Location. Classes are held at esports industry locations like Skillshot Media.? In-classroom course work is coupled with in-studio, hands-on training.? Students receive supervised instruction with equipment, production hardware and software within a professional esports production studio facility.??
• Formal Internship Program. Intern relationships have been established with multiple companies across event production (ex. Skillshot), gaming venues (ex. Axis Replay), game development & publishing (ex. Hi-Rez Studios and Ubisoft), and esports teams (ex. Ghost Gaming)
• College Credit and/or Continuing Education. For degree-seeking students, the three-course Certification provides 18-hours of college credit.? But importantly the program accommodates both Degree-Seeking students and Non-Degree-seeking continuing education students. ? As an example, one student may register for continuing education/professional development via Georgia Tech while another may opt to take the courses as part of a college degree major at Georgia State. ? With partnerships across different universities and technical colleges, the program accommodates different student education goals.

Employers across gaming and esports are looking to hire TODAY if they can find individuals with the right knowledge and skills.? Students equipped with those skills are then better positioned to enter these in-demand careers.? So employers and students benefit from well-designed esports training and certification programs.??

Please do your homework, choose a well-designed program (whether you are an employer, aspiring employee, or partner) and let's grow this exciting new industry together!