Pioneering the Future of Gaming Education
Video gaming and Esports is becoming an increasingly more profitable and lucrative field. According to the Federal Trade Commission, the gaming industry is the largest field in all of the entertainment industry with revenues exceeding both the music and movie industries combined.
To match the gaming industry’s need for developers, schools are implementing game designing, programming, and other Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) related programs.
CSUDH’s Esports programs and club are fairly new and are allowing students to research, innovate, craft, and develop within the field.
Gaining traction in 2020, the DH Esports team began competing and making a name for themselves in games like Apex Legends, Valorant, Call of Duty, League of Legends, Overwatch, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros.
CSUDH saw the success in the Esports field and delivered them their own Esports gaming lab, which is located on the second floor of the library.
Mohsen Beheshti, Professor and Chair of the Computer Science Department said what makes the Esports community of DH special is the sense of belonging among students.
“It improves teamwork and leadership skills,” Behesti said. “Participating in e-sports requires communication, collaboration, and strategic planning, much like traditional sports.”
DH’s Esports program provides an engaging community of like-minded gamers, offers avenues for future work in the computer sciences industry, creates interest in game design, and offers programming with other STEM fields.
“I was already looking into going into game development, so it was pretty much a perfect fit,” said Xander Peach, senior Computer Sciences major.
Introduction to Game Development in an Esports Environment is in its first semester at DH. The class is open to all majors and focuses on an overview of the industry, foundational game design concepts, and beginner development tools.
Students also collaborate on projects that highlight the interdisciplinary nature of game-making.
There is potential for greater development of the DH Esports program including collaborating with other departments to polish the skills of student developers.
“Esports is a multi-disciplinary program,” said Beheshti. “We are working with other departments such as Psychology, Kinesiology, and Business to make sure students taking our Esports program are knowledgeable in closely related topics in the field.”
According to Beheshti, Introduction to Game Development students have the outlet to create, design, and develop their own games. This allows students to access and explore creative ideas without compromise and gives students full ownership over projects. The introductory class consists of students from various majors who have a shared enthusiasm for games.
“For our midterm, we got to design our own game, and get the basics on how to design it, what goes into the budget, and understanding all of those smaller parts to it,” said Melissa Martinez, a senior Computer Sciences major.
The course also invites guest speakers from the industry and provides insight into the business side of gaming. The class sparks ethical discussions around gaming content and monetization and culminates with several presentations where students showcase their designs for feedback.
“I like that this class isn’t your typical class. It’s very real in not being your conventional lecture,” said Stephinie Phan, senior journalism major. “It’s like a workshop and the professor takes you as an adult rather than a student and it makes you want to know more and dive deeper into how it really works out in the field.”
According to Beheshti, CSUDH’s Esports program outpaces others due to faculty expertise, professional gaming facilities, partnerships with the industry, student success in gaming tournaments, game development showcases, and curriculum depth.
