The esports industry is a growth industry in the UK and many of the major companies are based in the South of England. This course has been designed to help students acquire the business skills and knowledge to progress to university courses or employment in this exciting and engaging area where the current industry is valued at over $1.2 billion.

The rigorous and intensive vocational courses allow students to progress into a variety of esports areas such as creative, production based degrees and theoretical studies in areas such as branding, coaching, business strategy and entrepreneurship. As the largest provider of BTEC esports in the UK, with our own dedicated esports arenas, Queen Mary’s College can offer unique industry specialists and contacts where students will gain an insight in to the structure of the esports industry, the roles available and how professionals work to produce media texts and branding for YouTube, Tik Tok, film and gaming sites.

Students will develop a solid grounding in ways to analyse, research, plan and produce esports products, create their own LAN events and look in depth at the business aspect of the industry.

The esports industry is a growth industry in the UK and many of the major companies are based in the South of England. This course has been designed to help students acquire the skills and knowledge to progress to university courses or employment in this exciting and engaging area. The Extended Diploma is a rigorous and intensive vocational course which allows students to progress into a variety of esports areas such as creative, production based degrees and theoretical studies in areas such as branding, coaching, strategy and entrepreneurship.

Through our links with industry specialists, students will gain an insight in to the structure of the esports industry, the roles available and how professionals work to produce media texts and branding for YouTube, film and gaming sites. Students studying the course will develop a solid grounding in ways to analyse, research, plan and produce esports products.

The Extended Certificate (equivalent to 1 A level)

4 mandatory units over the two year course:

• Introduction to Esports, Esports Skills, Strategies and Analysis, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship in the Esports Industry, Health, Wellbeing and Fitness for Esports Players
• Other units include: Planning Esports Events, Live-streamed Broadcasting, Producing an Esports Brand and Shoutcasting
• Internally assessed with no exams
• Equivalent in size to 3 A levels and UCAS

The Extended Diploma (equivalent to 3 A levels)

4 mandatory units over the two year course:

• Introduction to Esports, Esports Skills, Strategies and Analysis, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship in the Esports Industry, Health, Wellbeing and Fitness for Esports Players
• Some of the other units we will cover are:
• Introduction to Esports,
• Esports Skills, Strategies and Analysis,
• Enterprise and Entrepreneurship in the Esports Industry and Health,
• Wellbeing and Fitness for Esports Players
• Esports Events
• Live-streamed Broadcasting
• Producing an Esports Brand
• Video Production
• Games Design
• Shoutcasting
• Esports Coaching
• Psychology for Esports Performance

• An opportunity to take part in College trips to universities and employers and tourist attractions such as the Los Angeles movie studios and the Harry Potter Studio tour
• Take part in nationwide gaming leagues
• The development of soft and hard employability skills developed through written assessments and client based briefs e.g. meeting deadlines, independent study skills, time management, and presentation and communication skills.

The course involves four units over two years covered through practical coursework units. All units are internally assessed and then verified by an external moderator from the examining board. Assessment is based on the achievement of all the specified learning outcomes. You will complete a number of skills-based briefs which will enable you to provide evidence to show that you have met the grading criteria. Each unit will be awarded a pass, merit or distinction. Progression into year 2 is dependent on successfully passing each unit.

• Introduction to Esports
• Esports Skills, Strategies and Analysis
• Enterprise and Entrepreneurship in the Esports Industry
• Health, Wellbeing and Fitness for Esports Players
• Esports Events
• Producing an Esports Brand
• Psychology for Esports Performance
• Launching Your Esports Enterprise

The course fee of £60 per year covers most of the materials that students will require. The brand new esports arena has 52 gaming rigs, a bespoke yoga & Pilates room and a broadcast and streaming room.

Students will have access to digital recording equipment in college and access to editing software and recording equipment at home will be an advantage. Due to the nature of the practical work undertaken on this course, students will be required to bring a minimum 1TB hard drive and a digital card reader. Students will have the opportunity to rent hard drives from the college media department for a deposit.

If agreed in advance of a class or competition, students are allowed to bring in their own peripherals which can be stored in the lockers we have here on the assumption there’s availability.

There will be the opportunity to take part in a residential cultural trip to Los Angeles and UK based trips for an additional cost and also other relevant gaming trips and competitions throughout the year.

Queen Mary’s College is proud to be working alongside Belong Gaming Arenas and YoYoTech to launch the brand new BTEC in esports for the beginning of the Autumn term. This exciting collaboration with locally-based partners will provide QMC students with a host of skills and opportunities, including contact with esports industry experts, work experience and bespoke preparation and training for national competitions. QMC also plans to launch the first-ever esports scholarship, giving specific access to the Basingstoke Belong Arena, first-class resources and discount codes with other global brands and unique esports guests whilst September 2021 will see the opening of the UK’s first esports facility for sixth-form students that will see 52 gaming rigs, a streaming and editing room and a bespoke yoga room based on a £250,000 investment from EM3.

Esports has seen dramatic growth in recent years, creating thousands of new jobs in the entertainment industry worldwide. As well as in gaming itself, career opportunities are wide and varied and include Event Management, Sales and Marketing, Broadcasting, Coaching, Streaming, Human Resources and many more of the roles typically associated with running large scale businesses that are seen esports as an industry be valued into the high billions. QMC will offer you a unique route into this career and will be led by a national trainer who helped devise the qualification itself.

Students will have the choice to sign-up for the Single Vocational (1 A level equivalent) or the Extended Diploma (3 A level equivalent) option as well as the opportunity for the esports enrichment course.

– James Fraser-Murison