University Esports Hub Launched
National Student Esports (NSE), the official body for university esports in the UK, has launched a digital community platform to promote the esports sector in the UK university system.
The platform’s launch was timed to coincide with the release of A-level results this week, giving students the ability to factor universities’ relative esports credentials in their choice of where to study.
The overarching aim of the platform is to improve access to university esports for both incoming and existing students, as well as staff and other stakeholders key to the sector’s development.
The project forms part of NSE’s strategy to help raise the profile of university esports, with the aim of making the UK home to “the best university esports experience in the world.”
Commenting on the initiative, Jonathan Tilbury, executive director of NSE, said: “The university esports scene in the UK is a thriving and dynamic ecosystem that’s expanding rapidly. We want to give that community a space to achieve their goals and create a foundation for achieving our own vision of creating the best university esports experience worldwide.
“Our platform is a means to do that by promoting connectivity and accessibility without trying to change the way people do things.
“Industry insight and careers advice is also an important part of the platform, and NSE as an organisation. A lot of students might want to be casters or referees, or work in production, and we want to give them the tools and knowledge to pursue that.
“We also want the platform to help educate university staff, as well as other stakeholders, to encourage investment into societies and students and develop the future of university esports.”
The new NSE platform provides a suite of tools allowing students to self-manage their university’s online esports presence and plug their content in to the wider community.
Key features include a searchable directory of universities, esports careers-related content and resources including downloadable policy templates for societies and tools to help universities develop esports spaces, as well as information on relevant deals and discounts for students.
NSE was founded in May by Benchmark, parent company of Sport Industry Group, with the support of British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS), the national governing body for university sport in the UK. It works with student organisations and game publishers to leverage their knowledge, relationships and infrastructure across the higher education sector.
