The country’s first esports commentary major has been established for six years. What is the current employment situation of its graduates?
What is the Current Status of the First E-sports Commentary Major in China?
In 2018, Shanghai University of Sport (formerly known as Shanghai Institute of Sport, renamed in 2023) launched the first e-sports commentary major in the country, attracting significant social attention. Now, six years later, with three graduating classes, what is the employment situation for these graduates?
Over 90% Employment Rate for E-sports Commentary Graduates
On December 9, reporters from The Paper learned from Shanghai University of Sport that the Broadcasting and Hosting Arts program (E-sports Commentary Direction) is currently housed within the School of Arts. The program is divided into two tracks: sports commentary and e-sports commentary, with an average enrollment plan of 20 students per year for each track. The actual number of students enrolled in the e-sports commentary track is about a dozen each year.
“Our enrollment principle is to be small but elite, preferring quality over quantity,” said Han Chunying, Dean of the School of Arts at Shanghai University of Sport. She noted that in recent years, graduates from the e-sports commentary track have had a favorable employment situation, with relatively attractive salaries.
Huang Liyang, a graduate from the first cohort of the e-sports commentary major, became the youngest official host of League of Legends at under 19 years old during her sophomore year. After graduation, she has continued to work in e-sports commentary and has gained considerable recognition in the industry.
On December 9, Zhu Junhe, the head of the Broadcasting and Hosting Arts program, introduced that in recent years, the employment rate for graduates from the e-sports commentary track has exceeded 90%. Both current students and graduates have ample internship and job opportunities.
According to previous reports by The Paper, the entrance examination for the e-sports commentary track includes an English speaking component, focusing on various sports-related topics. Du Youjun, Dean of the School of Journalism, Communication, and Foreign Languages, explained that due to the high level of internationalization in e-sports, commentators must understand the specialized terminology. Furthermore, without a deep understanding of e-sports culture and storylines, it is challenging to provide insightful commentary. Only by grasping the cultural, operational, and historical knowledge behind e-sports can one effectively commentate on it.
According to incomplete statistics, many undergraduate and vocational colleges in Shanghai have established e-sports-related programs, including the Stage Design for E-sports program at Shanghai Theatre Academy, the Broadcasting and Hosting Arts program (E-sports Commentary Direction) at Shanghai University of Sport, the Digital Media Arts program (E-sports Operations and Promotion Direction) at Shanghai Normal University Tianhua College, and the E-sports Sports and Management program at Shanghai Minhang Vocational Technical College and Shanghai Electronic Information Vocational Technical College.
China Leads the World in E-sports Viewers and Players
With multiple universities offering e-sports commentary programs, what is the market demand for e-sports commentary professionals?
Zhao Yi, a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Film and Television Media at Shanghai Normal University, conducted research indicating that China has approximately 400 million e-sports viewers, making it one of the largest e-sports audiences globally, accounting for about 60% of the total. The number of active e-sports players in China exceeds 300 million, placing the country in a leading position worldwide in terms of both viewers and players, particularly excelling in the mobile e-sports market.
According to a report by iResearch, the scale of China’s e-sports market is approximately 166.4 billion yuan in 2023, with 97,500 existing e-sports-related enterprises in the country.
On December 1, a representative from an e-sports company in Shanghai told The Paper that graduates from e-sports programs have diverse employment opportunities, including positions in leading internet gaming companies and major players in the video and live-streaming industries, which have significant staffing needs. Graduates can work in game planning, art design, technical research and development, distribution operations, internet (live-streaming) product management, user operations, content operations, event operations, MCN e-sports management, directing, operations, and business roles.
Regarding the future of e-sports commentary education, Zhu Junhe believes that in the era of intelligent media, education in e-sports commentary, sports commentary, and broadcasting must keep pace with the times and innovate and adapt accordingly.
Cui Yong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission at Shanghai University of Sport, noted that the e-sports industry has developed rapidly in recent years. In 2023, e-sports events were officially included in the Asian Games, and the first Olympic e-sports event will be held in 2025. With e-sports entering both the Asian Games and the Olympics, the demand for talent is also surging.
