Staffordshire University has revealed plans to expand its esports provision in Stoke-on-Trent, with £2.9m investment in dedicated facilities.
Located on the Stoke-on-Trent campus, the new facilities will feature equipment by Panasonic and EVS. The project will also be designed, built and installed by broadcast solutions specialist Digital Garage.
A bespoke esports arena and a studio with dedicated broadcast galleries will feature as part of the expansion, which caters for the growing number of students studying on the university’s esports course, which has been redeveloped in collaboration with students and industry.
In a press release, Staffs Uni said the expansion of esports in the University’s Beacon building will accommodate flexible teaching space and students will have access to over 80 devices including specialist esports imaged workstations. Improved networking between rooms, and esports aesthetics and theming including lighting, furniture and artwork from student events will also feature.
The new facilities are set to be completed by spring 2024. The esports expansion is the latest in a series of ongoing investments in campus transformation projects across the University’s campuses.
The news comes one year after Staffordshire University stopped recruiting new esports students for its London campus, instead focusing on its Stoke-on-Trent campus for the future.
Staffordshire University, which is celebrating 20 years of computer games degrees, was the first university in the UK to launch a dedicated esports degree five years ago.
The course has improved following scrutiny towards Staffordshire University, with several esports students complaining about the quality of the course a few years ago.
Esports Course Director Dr Ying-Ying Law leads on several esports modules and is a founding member of the Esports Research Network.
She said:
“The esports industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and it is important that we reflect this in our updated course curriculum and that our teaching covers the skills, knowledge and behaviours that will help sector progression.”
Dr Ying-Ying Law, Staffordshire University
“We have carefully considered what our graduates need to succeed in the future and, through our revised course curriculum, our students get to examine both the theoretical and practical approaches to production, media, events, communities and management.
“Consequently, they will gain in-depth subject knowledge and transferable skills that will benefit them in the modern, digital media landscape, and be given exciting opportunities to apply it to projects in their chosen specialism.”
Dr Law has authored a number of academic papers about esports cultures and has experience of organising competitive gaming tournaments working collaboratively with Digital Schoolhouse and Fête Smash.
Professor Raheel Nawaz, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Digital Transformation at Staffordshire University, added: “Creating next-generation environments and experiences on our campuses is central to our 2030 strategic plan.
“Access to the best quality teaching and facilities is vital to ensure the future of the sector remains bright with new trailblazers entering the industry ready to hit the ground running.”
Russell Campion, Associate Professor in the School of Digital, Technologies and Arts at Staffordshire University, commented: “We are excited to be expanding our Esports footprint in Stoke-on-Trent. This will give students greater access to our facilities, enabling them to immerse themselves in the latest technology and complete more practical based work and extra-curricular activities. We cannot wait for our students to experience the transformed spaces in Beacon.”
As part of their final year project, students on the esports course have also been working with respected industry partners including Alpine, a car manufacturer and team currently on the F1 grid, on the Alpine Community Cup Series.
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.
