Loughborough University Partners with British Esports
Loughborough University has partnered with British Esports to strengthen standards in digital learning and competitive gaming. The collaboration reflects the sector's growing adoption of innovative digital platforms for both curricular and extracurricular activities. As these digitally-intensive disciplines become more integrated into university life, the accessibility of their platforms is expected to face greater scrutiny.
- The partnership is formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at applying Loughborough's expertise in sports science to the esports sector, focusing on leadership, governance, and training. Key figures involved are Loughborough's Pro Vice-Chancellor for Sport, Professor Jo Maher, and British Esports President, Chester King. - As part of the collaboration, Loughborough University is developing a new "Esports Gaming Lab" equipped with 40 high-spec gaming machines to support teaching, research, and skills development. This initiative is part of the university's broader DigiLabs development on campus. - A significant focus of the partnership is to establish professional standards for players, coaches, and managers, with a strong emphasis on safeguarding. This aligns with British Esports' wider initiatives, such as its "Duty to Care in Esports" online course developed with UNICEF UK, NSPCC, and the National Crime Agency. - This collaboration is set against a backdrop of rising interest in esports within UK higher education, with a recent survey showing 75% of UK students support adding esports to the school curriculum. Currently, 16 universities in the UK offer degree programs related to esports. - The UK's collegiate esports scene has been growing for over a decade, with organizations like NUEL, founded by a Loughborough student in 2010, now involving over 15,000 students from 110 universities. The British University Esports Championship is one of Europe's largest organized esports competitions, with over 100 universities participating. - The partnership will also inform policy development and best practices at national and international levels, extending the impact of British Esports' National Esports Performance Campus in Sunderland. - As digital platforms in universities face more scrutiny, all public sector bodies in the UK, including universities, must comply with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018. The Equality Act of 2010 also mandates that services, including video games, must be accessible to people with disabilities.
