Architectural Design Technology students from Wrexham Glyndŵr University (WGU) will host a European delegation. To examine the future of the growing eSports industry.
The appetite globally for E-Sports – competitive computer gaming which is viewed by spectators – has grown hugely in recent decades. Alongside students from France, Spain and Finland, Glyndŵr’s students have taken part in a Europe-wide Erasmus+ project. Examining the kind of buildings the new industry will need.
Dr Colin Stuhlfelder, Programme Leader for Architectural Design Technology, said: “With the Spanish University of Murcia’s sports expertise. The University of Caen’s specialism in inclusivity, the University of Kajaani’s eSports lead and WGU students’ design skills. The Erasmus+ project seeks to examine how eSports can be understood, expanded to a broad audience regardless of ability and have its regulation through a Europe-wide Ethical Charter. As well as a host of other considerations linked to engagement.
Erasmus+ Study Trips
“Our students at Glyndŵr have been examining the design implications of housing gaming tournaments. As well as the associated requirements of eSports. Such as; training spaces, analytics facilities and ensuring we create a public-facing space as well.”
Last Autumn, students from Glyndŵr joined their European counterparts in a trip to the University of Murcia’s Faculty of Sport Science in San Javier. The visit was the third of a series of Erasmus+ study trips. Which Architectural Design Technology students have taken part in as part of the pan-European electronic gaming industry project. Later this year, students from across Europe will be at Glyndŵr for the Welsh section of the project.
In the past two years, the current final year Architectural Design Technology students visited Caen and Kajaani and designed theoretical proposals for an eSports Centre for a site in Wrexham.
Colin added: “Their research and project development is now in the hands of the university’s current first-year students who will develop a new set of designs for the site. Taking into consideration the lessons learnt by their predecessors.
May 2020
“These projects will be completed in May 2020. When the European partners visit Wrexham for the next study trip.
“We’ll continue working with colleagues across Europe on this project for the next year with the current first-year Architectural Design Technology students taking on the specific project. I’ll be helping ensure that the project helps future students understand key real-world issues architectural design technologists face when optimising the layouts of eSports centres. We’ll also use the information the project produces to create an academic data bank on eSports for higher education.
“And, of course, our students will continue to get the chance to take their studies, share them with colleagues across Europe and to visit partner universities in different countries to exchange ideas!”
Find out more about Wrexham Glyndŵr University’s BSc (Hons) in Architectural Design Technology at glyndwr.ac.uk/en/undergraduatecourses.
Finally, thank you for reading ‘Glyndŵr to Host a European E-Sports Delegation’. To keep up to date with the latest news on education, click here.
