For transparency: Esports News UK editor Dom Sacco used to work full-time for British Esports between September 2016 and February 2021, and currently does some freelance work for them, producing their weekly email newsletter.
British Esports, the national body established to support grassroots esports in the UK, has announced a two-year collaboration with major tech brands Dell and Intel.
British Esports is targeting a collection of five official partners and five official suppliers overall, ‘who will play a vital role in shaping and supporting the future of esports and education in the United Kingdom. This collaborative effort will bring together like-minded industry leaders to help drive innovation and make a lasting impact on the UK esports landscape’.
Dell Technologies and Intel have become British Esports’ Official Technology and Hardware Partners, while Alienware (powered by the latest Intel Core processors) has become the Official Supplier of high-performance gaming PCs, monitors and peripherals to British Esports and the upcoming National Esports Performance Campus in Sunderland.
A press release stated that ‘the Dell and Intel partnership focuses on promoting esports as an accessible, inclusive and forward-thinking industry. It will highlight how esports fosters the development of 21st-century skills, innovative education and career pathways that drive economic growth across a wide range of related sectors, from science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to creative and digital industries to sports and beyond’.
“Collaborating with such industry-leading organisations who share our vision and values is a significant milestone and we are grateful for their commitment.”
Chester King, British Esports
Marking the start of this collaboration, British Esports joined forces with Dell and Intel to ask students aged 11-17 in a survey about their technology learning experiences and the need for 21st-century skills for future education and career pathways.
A significant majority of the 700 students surveyed, 56%, strongly or somewhat agreed that combining an esports qualification with other subjects would enhance their chances of securing a place at university.
Furthermore, 59% of respondents believed that such a qualification would provide them with practical, hands-on experience in a specific industry. Additionally, 52% recognised that an esports qualification would equip them with the essential skills needed for subjects in STEM.
The news comes a few weeks after the British Esports Student Champs 2023 final in Nottingham’s Confetti X facility.
‘Dell and Intel partnership will ensure national esports performance campus has state-of-the-art tech’
“We’re delighted to partner with Dell Technologies, Intel Corporation and Alienware as our first official partners and suppliers,” said Chester King, CEO, British Esports.
“Collaborating with such industry-leading organisations who share our vision and values is a significant milestone and we are grateful for their commitment.
“This partnership will ensure that the national esports performance campus will be equipped with state-of-the-art computing technology, delivering on its promise as the UK’s most advanced esports and education performance and training centre.”
“Working with organisations like the British Esports Federation and Intel, we hope to raise awareness of how tapping into passions like esports could be the key to fostering the development of 21st-century digital skills,” added Steve Young, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Dell Technologies in the UK.
“Watch a young person engage in esports and you’ll see them test hypotheses, think systematically, analyse data and employ evidence-based strategies, as well as the technical proficiency necessary to play, film, edit, publish and connect.”
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
