Universities Now Offering Degrees in E-Sports

If you were ever told that playing video games is a waste of time, here's your chance to prove them WRONG! Starting this semester, many schools in the U.K. and even here in America are now offering Bachelor's and Master's degrees in video gaming or E-Sports Management!

Over the past decade, competitive video gaming has taken the world by storm. Not only are there massive competitions being held for obscene amounts of money, but many gamers have established lucrative careers playing video games professionally. Even the sport channel ESPN has acknowledged competitive gaming as a legitimate 'sport' along the lines of chess and 'GO' (a very popular game in Asian countries).

Now, schools like the University of Staffordshire and THE Ohio University offer bachelor's and master's degrees in ESports, which mainly focuses on marketing and management skills tailored to the industry. Even retired basketball player Rick Fox recognized the potential for ESports when he founded "Echo Fox" in 2015.  Echo Fox is an American Esports organization with teams competing across several titles.

Some of the biggest names in Competitive gaming have earned millions of dollars through sponsorships and prize money with some of the events rivaling mainstream sporting events like basketball and football. I can't wait to see who will be the first professional gamer to sign a shoe deal with Nike!