Esports is considered one of the fastest growing sports, it's leading the way in live events production, broadcasting and streaming, and content creation. The industry is made up of professional players, games publishers, event specialists, broadcast/streaming providers like Twitch and Youtube, and global sponsors and technology providers.
At Confetti, our degree is routed in learning about the esports industry as a whole but focusing on broadcast production at the heart of it. Understanding the scale and impact that esports has had on the entertainment industry, the broadcast industry, and now the sports industry is paramount to establishing a career working in the contemporary creative industry.
Unlike other universities, we're specialists in creative technologies and have over 25 years of expertise in games, media and music. That means we're in a unique position to draw upon our existing teaching expertise and industry contacts across gaming, technical events, production technology and broadcasting, and creative entrepreneurship to enhance your learning experience. We also run our own commercial businesses, including Confetti X (a purpose-built esports and virtual production venue), which means you'll learn and work alongside experts from the industry in a professional setting.
Thanks to our great links with industry, you'll be presented with opportunities to gain work experience with a range of organisations, such as The NUEL, Global Esports Federation, and British Esports Federation - to name just a few.
Our unique position means the degree offers a balance between academic and vocational modules. This enables you to learn authentic research skills, practical skills and soft skills, which are all key in fuelling your career in the creative industries.
This course is taught at Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies in Nottingham.
You'll learn and practice in our brand new esports hub Confetti X and in our world-class live events complex, Metronome, which boasts a 400-capacity venue and industry-standard live events production workspace.
We're well-connected in the world of esports, playing host to tournaments and events for the NSE, British Esports Association and other organisations. All these real-life work experience opportunities will complement your learning.
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Year One
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Year Two
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Final year
Global Esports Industry (40 Credit Points)
Esports is now one of the most significant sectors within the global games industry. The growth of this market sector has led to new business opportunities, emerging technologies and social trends. This module introduces you to the technological, business-focussed and social factors that are related to the development of Esports through academic research and analysis. This knowledge and understanding is vitally important for the development of new business concepts, products or services related to Esports.
Principles of Esports Games (40 Credit Points)
Esports has grown ten-fold in just over five years to a staggering global business. The games themselves have engaged players and viewers alike with developers and publishers always searching for the next big, competitive product. This module focuses on the mechanics and conventions of competitive games design, allowing you to conceptualise your own ideas in relation to competitive Esports games. This knowledge and understanding of how games mechanically work and why we play them is essential to game design, and will support the conceptualisation of/within your own game portfolio.
Production & Technology (40 Credit Points)
Being able to understand the importance of technology in Esports broadcasting is essential for those working in the Esports events industry. This module will allow you to explore the technical theory involved in broadcast technology for Esports, whilst developing your practical skills working with equipment.
Emerging and Disruptive Technologies in Esports Games (20 Credit Points)
This module focuses on improving your ability to identify and understand key developmental areas of the Esports industry. This will require you to analyse emerging technologies used throughout Esports games development, events production, training and online streaming. Through extensive research you will be asked to propose innovative strategies on how to shape the industry moving forwards.
Esports Event Management (40 Credit Points)
This module focuses on event management through a range of key areas. You'll study core event-planning strategies which include resource management and allocation, audience research and the user experience, and digital media production technologies, teaching you how to effectively push the event experience and journey to audiences.
Live Esports Broadcast Production (40 Credit Points)
You'll further your knowledge of all the associated event production technology required to deliver a live Esports event including broadcast, live sound, stage lighting, live video and streaming technologies. You'll work with a range of technical and mathematical data to study and design the technology configurations that can support a live Esports event. This module will have a strong practical emphasis in a workshop environment that will allow you to practise and evaluate skills and techniques using industry-standard technology and software. It is expected that you'll specialise in one or more areas of production technology, and by working collaboratively you will have the skillset and understanding to deliver a successful Esports event as a production team.
Industry Practice (20 Credit Points)
During this module you'll undertake appropriate self-directed projects, working collaboratively on creative concepts, allowing you to directly apply the knowledge and skills learnt throughout the programme in the context of the workplace. This module aims to develop your overall professionalism and provide you with the knowledge and resources to begin a career in both the Esports and creative industries. The nature of creative industries is increasingly defined by freelance and self-employed models of work. Consequently, individuals seeking work in industry need to appreciate the pressures of working on multiple projects to strict deadlines and the subsequent demands this places on time and resources. Similarly, an understanding of professional practice and the legal and economic imperatives in industry is important, as is effective communication, self-efficacy and autonomy. This module aims to develop these skills by challenging you to develop a range of self-directed projects.
Social Media Production and Management (20 Credit Points)
This module focuses on developing a thorough and critical understanding of the role and function of social media within the creative media industry, with emphasis on Esports events. During this module you'll learn about the different social media platforms that form the online community driving Esports. Through research and study, you will understand and apply innovations in advertising campaigns to form your own digital marketing campaign for an Esports event. This will encompass digital media production technologies applied to understanding public relations and intellectual property protection.
Capstone Project (60 Credit Points)
This module encompasses all that you have learned throughout your studies into a final major project. The project is based on the development of a live Esports exhibition drawing in a variety of guests, sponsors, performances and tournaments. To achieve this, you'll engage with a number of live events, from which you will critically analyse and evaluate techniques, and apply them to the design of your own event. You'll focus on a core area of this event and apply innovation with technology, work collaboratively with other course areas, and as a result be the driving force behind a large-scale Esports spectacle.
Technology Investigation (40 Credit Points)
This module provides you with the opportunity to undertake sustained investigation into a specific area of live Esports production and broadcast, building on your previous knowledge, experience and skills acquired during Levels 4 and 5. This module will allow you to critically explore a specific issue or area of personal interest within your chosen field. You will achieve this by undertaking a self-initiated practical research project supported by tutor supervision. As part of this investigation, you'll also enhance your abilities to communicate your findings with an audience and consolidate your skills in project management and self-directed work, both of which are vital for a career within the creative media industries. The module serves to acquaint you with the key skills and practices required to undertake and complete an independent research project. The module will also enable you to understand the role of Intellectual Property (IP) in supporting the creative economy and how you can identify and legally protect your ideas and innovations. The module will offer an insight into how you can manage and license your IP, and what you do if someone else uses your ideas or without your permission.