Chinese university introduces e-sports major

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Attention, e-sports aficionados: now you can turn your video game passion into a profession. And there’s a course for that.

Communication University of China is introducing e-sports major in its Nanguang College in Nanjing starting this fall semester, allowing students to graduate with a degree focusing on e-sports management and game design.

But not all video gaming enthusiasts are eligible for the course.

Communication University of China, Nanguang College /CFP Photo

Hou Jun, head of the college’s admissions department, however said not all applicants who can play can apply.

“Applicants need to sit for a nationwide College Entrance Exam and finish a series of tests set by the university,” Hou said.

He also added that apart from gaming-related classes, students must also enroll in other courses, including sociology, economics and psychology, which would complement the industry’s future development.

The university is also considering employing professional players as “necessary complement to routine practical teaching.”

CFP Photo‍

As China tries to lead in technological research and development, the gaming industry has seen significant boom in recent years. In 2015, the country’s gaming industry gained 140.7 billion yuan in profit, including 27 billion yuan from e-sports, according to the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

China has also become the largest market of e-sports since 2015, exceeding the United States, with an estimated 100 million players.

CFP Photo

Last year, China’s Ministry of Education had listed e-sports as a university major, and some vocational schools in Guizhou and Hunan provinces became the first to offer it in their curriculum.

‍Dai Shi, an e-sports commentator popularly known as JY, said that the e-sports industry lacks specialists and the university course would help attract more talents and allow the industry to prosper.