The state-of-the-art building will host over 100 students participating in esports from September 2021 as part of the BTEC course which launched this year. As well as the course, students will also be able to take part in enrichment sessions ranging from Overwatch, Valorant and Minecraft for one hour a week.
The £330k building was in part down to the grant given by EM3 and supported Saracern, YoYoTech and Belong Gaming Arenas who all recognized the potential of esports as both a future careers path for our students but also as recognition for the growing industry now worth in the region of £1.3 billion.
The event was supported by a variety of special guests including representatives from the Enterprise M3, the British Army Esports region, and new esports company Guild, including content creators and gamers Geenelly and FN25. Both of whom even competed against our students on the day!
James Fraser-Murison who helped write some of the BTEC units for the course and is a national trainer for the esports qualification said:
“I’m so pleased to have finally seen 18 months of hard work pay off with such an amazing and contemporary arena that our students are going to love! Not only does this cater to the growing needs and interests of our students, but it’s also preparing them for a range of digital skills that are much needed for the future. As QMC has led the way with the esports BTEC, this firmly puts us on the map on a national scale and will allow us to develop not only our existing relationships with those in the industry but also open the door for new work-based opportunities for students for many years to come.”
The event was held in accordance with the latest Covid guidelines at the time.
