The Charger Blog
The popularity of esports has continued to increase, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic, and University of New Haven students and faculty members are looking forward to being part of the University鈥檚 innovative new programs in esports that are launching this fall.
August 24, 2020
Raymond Hernandez 鈥24 is passionate about esports. He doesn鈥檛 aspire to be a professional gamer, rather, he says he wants to be involved on the business side 鈥 marketing a team or a product.
鈥淚t鈥檚 on the up and up, and you can see that with the number of contracts people are making nowadays,鈥 said Hernandez, an incoming business management major with a concentration in esports management. 鈥淚 see nothing but promise for esports, and that鈥檚 the reason why I wanted to go to one of the first universities at the ground level for esports.鈥
Hernandez recently spoke with WFSB for a story about how the esports industry is thriving during the coronavirus pandemic. Capitalizing on this trend, the University this fall will officially launch its interdisciplinary major in Esports and Gaming. Housed in the Pompea College of Business, the program will feature concentrations offered by the School of Health Science, Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, and College of Arts and Sciences. The University is also launching an esports management concentration as part of its Business Management major.
Within the last several months, the University has announced two academic partnerships that will support the programs. Students will have the opportunity to collaborate and learn from leaders at Twitch, a leading service and community for multiplayer entertainment, and HyperX, the sponsor of some of the world鈥檚 top esports organizations. The partnership with Twitch will include a jointly developed and delivered class titled 鈥淚ntroduction to Live Streaming and Streamer Economics.鈥
鈥淭he interest is here,鈥 Jason Chung, BCL, LLB, assistant professor of sport management and executive director of the University鈥檚 esports program, told WFSB. 鈥淕en Z is in it, and wherever Gen Z goes, so do the advertisers and sponsors and business.鈥
A lawyer who specializes in building programs focused on the business of esports, Prof. Chung spearheaded the Twitch and HyperX partnerships.
The University鈥檚 comprehensive academic curriculum in esports management is the first of its kind to be part of a business curriculum accredited by AACSB International. The University is also developing a graduate program in esports business, the first such program in the United States.
鈥淎wareness of esports has definitely has gone up,鈥 he said. 鈥淎cceptance has gone up because, ultimately, it鈥檚 a form of entertainment.鈥
University News
New affiliation will also feature Connecticut's largest healthcare network overseeing the university鈥檚 counseling and psychological services and athletic training for student-athletes.
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The Charger Blog
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