Getting more people involved in esports is the goal of not only game developers, organizations and streaming platforms, but also universities as a new esports degree kicks off in the UK. FACEIT also teamed up with PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds to make it easier for amateur player to turn pro using a fully supported ranked system.
British esports foundation sets up grassroots
The British Esports Association, the not-for-profit organization that has the sole purpose of promoting grassroots esports in the UK, has teamed up with GAME, West Ham United, and Archery GB. These parties are launching a new initiative to bridge the gap between esports and traditional sport.
A one-week pilot will be held to demonstrate the similarities (and differences) between professional video gamers and traditional athletes. The pilot is set to be aimed at those between the ages of 14 and 19 who are at the ideal age to get involved with the scene. The pilot will take place at West Ham United Foundation in London.
Dated at October 22 - 26, the pilot will be held during half-term break for students. Various sessions will be made available, including football, archery, and Rocket League. If the scheme is successful, more programs will be rolled out across the UK.
UK university esports degree kicks off
A university in the county of Staffordshire, UK has kicked off a new degree with a focus on esports, as reported by Esports Insider. Students learn everything about the scene, including managing tournaments and even creating organizations.
This is an important move fro the scene since you can't have a successful industry only made up of professional gamers. Drumming up further interest for other careers within the industry is what's needed to bring in the next wave of organization owners, casters, producers, and more.
PUBG teams up with FACEIT for ranked play
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has officially launched on the FACEIT platform, offering a structured progression system to facilitate competitive matches and rankings. Working closely with the developers at PUBG Corp., players will be able to access tools to really get started as semi-professional gamers with the potential to make it big time and land on the stage.
Interestingly, FACEIT reported more than 200,000 players have already signed up during the beta phase, showing just how much demand there is for such functionality. The first player registered on FACEIT to bag 338 chicken dinners will win a Fiat 500. Why 338? That's apparently how many chickens you can fit inside the vehicle.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of FACEIT's platform is the implementation of region locking, restricting players to their immediate region. This is an issue that continues to plague PUBG and has seen countless players call for such a feature be baked into the main game.
Find out how you can begin your journey on the esports path with FACEIT.
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