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A £1.65m renovation is currently underway on a vacant building in Long Street at the University of Suffolk’s Ipswich campus, which will feature an esports facility.
It will feature a teaching and recreational space, including more than 40 gaming-spec PCs, a professional-grade broadcast gallery and a live studio purpose-built for broadcasting and livestreaming.
Work on the esports facility is being carried out by Concertus and is due to be completed in September.
Ahead of the first cohort for the new BA (Hons) Esports course joining in September, the University has published indicative CGI images of what the industry-grade facility will look like.
The new esports course aims to ‘deliver a hands-on experience for students who are passionate about gaming, but will also equip them with vital business and tech skills to set them apart for when they graduate’, according to a press release. ‘Those skills include managing livestreamed events, live and online broadcasting experience, digital marketing skills, creative digital media attributes, and leadership and team dynamic prowess.’
The facilities will allow students to compete in national and global tournaments, online showpiece matches, and charity events.
Students will also be able to manage their own esports team, due to be unveiled later this year.
Charlie Smith, Course Leader for BA (Hons) Esports, said:
“We’ve already had lots of interest in our brand new esports course launching this September, and the £1.65m facility will be a real draw for students to join our programme.”
Charlie Smith, University of Suffolk
“With more than 40 gaming PCs, livestreaming facilities and a broadcast gallery, our learners will benefit from industry-standard technology to bolster their experience before they even graduate into the industry.”
“These skills [the esports course will equip students] are really important for thriving in such a fast-paced and evolving industry, and by equipping our students with as broad a range of strengths as possible, our course will give students the best experience possible of thriving in the industry.”
To find out more about the BA (Hons) Esports course, visit the website here: BA (Hons) Esports | University of Suffolk. You can also book onto an open day at Open Days | University of Suffolk.
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.
