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Game on: Everything you need to know about Sunderland’s National Esport Campus
Esports is one of the world’s fastest growing activities and Sunderland will play a key role in helping it become a multi-billion-pound industry in the UK, as WHO reports.
Last month’s announcement that British Esports (BE) – the national body for esports - is set to open a National Esports Performance Campus in Sunderland made headlines across the UK. But to the average reader, little is known about esports and the huge economic, educational and cultural impact it has had in recent years. So, as Sunderland gets set to welcome the UK’s first National Performance Campus, we made it our mission to catch up with the industry body powering the centre and those already putting the North East on the map as an esports centre of excellence… What is esports? An abbreviation of electronic sports, British Esports defines esports as ‘organised 14
competitive video gaming’ and always human v human. There are over 40 different esports from different video game categories, MOBA (mobile online battle arena), Battle Royale, sports and simulation, fighting, first person shooter, strategy and more. The most popular esports titles include: Lead of Legends, Dota2, Rocket League and Overwatch. Competitions and competitive matches are often played in front of large live audiences with competitors battling it out to win trophies and cash prizes, which in some instances can amount to millions of pounds. Already a phenomenon in several territories across the globe, with one in three people globally playing video games and over half a billion fans,
esports is set to explode in popularity in the UK. During the Tokyo Olympics, esports was trialed in the form of virtual sports and simulation video games and we will see the Commonwealth Esports Championships be hosted during the
RIVERSIDE SUNDERLAND HAS ALREADY ATTRACTED HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF POUNDS IN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR INVESTMENT AND THE BRITISH ESPORTS IS THE LATEST TO REALISE THE SITE’S VAST POTENTIAL.
