Esports & Livestreaming BA(Hons)

In year one of Esports & Livestreaming BA(Hons), you'll gain a solid practical and theoretical foundation in the field of esports. You'll learn about the basic context in which esports are streamed, gain an understanding of the whole delivery process from start to finish, discover the roles that work together to make a project happen and explore team-working methodologies. You'll also get an introduction to digital media and creative marketing processes.

Modules

Development Foundations

You'll engage with the foundational collaborative steps involved in the development and delivery of digital products and services. 

Livestreaming Tools

In this module, you'll develop an understanding of the components and tools that make up a live networked streaming setup designed for online spectatorship. 

Digital Creativity

On this module, you will explore digital media formats including text, image and sound. You’ll play, tinker, experiment with and extend digital artefacts, transforming what already exists in one form into another form as a means of appropriation.

You’ll also consider moral and legal questions surrounding digital creativity, such as plagiarism, intellectual property law, licensing rights, representation and media literacy.

Data Fundamentals 

You’ll learn to use computer systems to process and analyse data. 

Multidisciplinary Teamwork 

Collaborating in multi-skilled teams, you’ll deliver a proof-of-concept for a digital product or service. 

Esports Production 

In this module, you'll explore the components that make up streamed content designed for online spectatorship. 

In year two of this Esports & Livestreaming degree, your growing knowledge and skills will be put to the test with practical projects. You'll define and execute a solo esports, livestreaming or content creation project and work in a team to respond to a project brief. You'll consider the game-specific factors that impact spectator experience, encounter the legal, regulatory, financial and ethical considerations for running an esports business and develop an understanding of branding and promotion.

Modules

Individual Esports Project

You'll strike out on your own to explore content creation and media production as part of a solo project. You can focus on esports or digital content creation more generally.

Media Lab

You'll explore the creative opportunities and ethical implications of media technologies and advertising platforms. 

Esports Event

Working in a team, you’ll plan and produce an esports event while considering wider questions surrounding audience engagement and effective working practice.  

Through this project, you’ll address the challenges of mediating a specific game to a defined audience and what makes for exciting highlights. You’ll also explore how different games naturally affect the form of the broadcast, as well as how the audience engages with both promotional and livestreamed content.

Esports Studies 

In this module, you'll explore the historical context, theories and concepts that surround esports and related disciplines, such as sports and visual media. 

Social Media Marketing 

You'll be introduced to the principles of content and social media marketing, looking at the platforms available and their place in the wider marketing context. Case studies will be used to demonstrate how these platforms can be used to influence and develop product and brand awareness as well as increase brand loyalty and business growth. You'll also learn how to measure growth in these channels. 

Immersive and Participatory Performance 

More information to follow.

You can choose to take an optional professional placement after your second year on a three-year programme, or after your third year if you’re studying for a degree with an Integrated Foundation Year. 

You’ll be responsible for finding your own placement, with support from the Employability team. 

Choosing this option will enhance your industry experience and skills while studying. 

How you’ll study during your professional placement

You’ll spend time working in a professional context, as part of a business or organisation. This can be in one role, or up to three, and must be for a minimum of 24 weeks. 

You’ll develop in-demand workplace skills, deepen your insight into industry and grow your network of contacts, all of which could help you get ahead in your career after graduation. 

Throughout this year, you’ll develop a portfolio of work that includes critical self-reflection on what has been learned from the experience. You’ll be required to evidence your experiences, the skills you’ve learned and your professional growth. 

The final year of your Esports & Livestreaming degree is all about preparing for industry. You'll gain vital entrepreneurial know-how and finesse your practical skills by doing it for real. Working in a team, you'll deliver a large-scale, long-term esports event management project, which you'll present at the end of year show. To support this practical project, you'll write an extended essay based on a specific game and/or esports research topic. 

Teaching is geared around developing your professional practice and portfolio, helping you to build contacts and support your transition to employment, potentially including the creation of your own company. 

Modules

Professional Portfolio 

With guidance and mentoring, you'll advance and consolidate your knowledge of the enterprise and employment context of your relevant industry through the completion of a professional portfolio.

Future Skills  

You'll cultivate your professional journey, developing an understanding of your skills in the context of industry and employment. You'll be equipped with the confidence to articulate your knowledge and abilities, and evidence how you can apply them to real world challenges. 

Working on a collaborative or solo project, you'll deliver real results, whether that's a profit on some seed funding, a professional portfolio of work, or a solution to a real-world challenge from industry. 

Esports Live Performance 

You’ll plan, rehearse and deliver the inaugural broadcast that will kickstart a series of esports broadcasts. 

Future of Games 

This theory-based module will help you build a greater awareness of the evolving nature of games and esports. You'll deepen your understanding of the cultural, social and political contexts within which games and esports are made, played and perceived. 

Major Collaboration 

In the final module, you'll develop professional autonomy as you collaborate in multi-skilled teams to produce a market-viable service or product based on your own intellectual property. 

The delivery of esports events requires a broad-ranging skillset. While you'll predominantly learn from staff within the Games Academy, you'll also tap into the expertise of lecturers from the wider University. You'll learn through lectures, seminars and practical workshops in an esports lab – getting hands-on experience with streaming live matches.

At Falmouth, we use a 'digitally enhanced learning & teaching' approach. Your experience will always be predominantly in-person, including seminars, tutorials and studio teaching, with some, more targeted elements, being online either live (synchronous) or pre-recorded (asynchronous). You can read more here.

100% of your assessment will be coursework. 

Assessment methods

You'll be assessed through a variety of methods, including: 

• Short-form theory essays 
• Business cases 
• Group and solo practical projects 

Essential

The latest advice about which computers we recommend you buy for your course is available here.

Portable SSD storage

We highly recommend getting some form of external drive for storing footage from broadcasts/streams. We have had good results from drives such as the “SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 1TB”. Ideally, anything that is SSD-based and has 1TB of storage would be suitable. Prices range from £60 to £120

Please avoid using external drives with spinning disks, as these can be prone to disk failure when moved around a lot.

Headset with Microphone

You will need a headset with a microphone for some classes. We recommend purchasing a high quality headset for your comfort. Manufacturers such as Sennheiser, SteelSeries, Razer, HyperX and Corsair are rated highly by our current students. These can cost between £30 - £150.

Webcam

You will need a webcam in some teaching. Manufacturers such as Logitech, Microsoft, and Razer are rated highly by our current students. These can cost between £25 - £100.

Internet Access

It is important that you secure sufficient access to the Internet as some materials are made available to you through our virtual learning environment. We recommend a fibre broadband connection if available, but a minimum of at least 5Mbps will be suitable for livestreaming content.