Chinese University Offers Esports Elective for Students
A university in Liaoning province is going viral on Weibo, after it was revealed that students can now take an esports elective. The course, available at Shenyang City University, will teach students how to commentate on esports events, produce content, plan gaming events and more.
The Weibo tag #如何看待大学开设电竞专业# (#What Do You Think of Colleges Starting An Esports Major?#) has been blowing up on the microblogging site, with 110 million readers checking out the hashtag, and many chiming in with their opinion on the innovative new class.
Some netizens are skeptical, however. One Weibo user wrote, “It’s not ok, there’s an age problem. The age of retirement for esports players is the same as the age that students will graduate.” Others users have stated their opinion that the course is a marketing ploy by the university to increase enrollment.
China’s esports industry has boomed in recent years, as the country’s success at global competitions in games like League of Legends has made stars of young gamers. The 2020 League of Legends World Championship is set to take place in China, with organizers hoping to crush records for attendance.
At the same time that the esports industry has expanded, however, more concern about video game addiction in minors has surfaced. Recently, China imposed new rules which state that gamers under the age of 18 can only play video games for 90 minutes on weekdays, and will not be allowed to play between 10pm and 8am.
[Cover image via Unsplash]
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