If there was any question about how much money there is to be made as an esports athlete, last month’s Fornite World Cup gave us an answer: a lot.
Sixteen-year-old Kyle Giersdorf, who goes by the gamer tag Bugha, took home $3 million of the $30 million total prize money doled out during the tournament, which carries the title as the world’s biggest video game competition. The million-dollar winnings are just the latest evidence that the billion-dollar global esports industry is booming.
This fall, the University of South Florida hopes to give aspiring professional gamers a peek inside the industry during the eSports Summit, which will bring together sports and entertainment executives, investors, technology leaders and students in the Marshall Student Center at USF’s campus in Tampa. The summit will pay special attention to promoting the esports ecosystem in the Tampa Bay Area.
For Michelle Harrolle, director of the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management Program at USF’s Muma College of Business, the impetus for launching the summit was personal. Three years ago, Harrolle’s son said he wanted to be a professional gamer. Mothers would have once scoffed at the thought, but Harrolle decided to support her son by signing him up for a coach. The only problem was she couldn’t find a single camp dedicated to training gamers on the craft and economics of competing professionally. Gaming camps have sprouted up across the world since then, but Harrolle thinks they’re still in short supply compared to the amount of investment being made in the industry.
That’s where the eSports Summit comes in. Attendees won’t necessarily learn how to outperform their opponents in Fortnite or Madden NFL, but they will learn how to better navigate the business side of the esports industry. Talks will be given by sports marketing experts and professionals who help host esports tournaments for companies like EA Sports and Dreamhack. Topics will include video game culture, growth, investment and branding.
Harrolle said there will be plenty to glean from the summit for veteran gamers and new-comers alike.
“We want to make sure that it starts as an entry-level education,” she said. “So we’ll start off by explaining what esports are, and then we’ll dive deep into the industry.”
Since announcing the event, Harrolle said she’s received interest from unlikely sources, including a local law firm and an accountant who is launching a finance company specifically to help gamers.
The eSports Summit takes place September 18. Attendance is free for USF students. Individual passes for non-USF students are $79.
