Course overview

The BTEC Level 2 Diploma in Esports has been developed to meet this upcoming demand for skills in esports. The qualifications include a range of transferable skills that enable learners to experience different areas of esports to aid their progression to employment, directly or via further study. Esports offers a unique opportunity to study a sector that crosses over multiple subject areas such as sport, marketing, enterprise, IT and Game Development. It provides an opportunity to develop skills vital to further progression within esports in both an educational and professional setting, cover topics such as teams and tournament setups, establishing and organisation and event management as well as promoting positive health within esports.

The qualification is aimed at learners who want to progress towards the level 3 in esports, game development, business or who may aspire to work within the sector. The qualification is endorsed by the British Esports Association as being suitable for learners who want to work in the industry. This means that it will be recognised by employers and will support entry into the industry in a range of roles.

The course is full time and some work experience as part of this is mandatory. This will be organized through the college and will provide relevant, industry standard experience along with the opportunity to do some early networking.
Although gaming skills are not taught on the Level 2 Esports qualification you will be able to pursue you passion for competitive gaming through extracurricular activities such as cross-college tournaments.

By the end of the course you should have an understanding of how games are made, how gaming events are set up ran behind the scenes along with key software and equipment used, how to set up an effective Esports brand and how to keep competition ready both physically and mentally.

Entry requirements

Four GCSE grades 3 and above.

Please note, a grade 3 in Maths and English are mandatory as part of the entry requirements.

Course Modules

Unit 1: Esports Games, Teams, and Tournaments
This unit introduces Esports such where players compete against each other, either online or at big events with people watching. Esports has been growing and at the top levels players and teams are making a lot of money through salaries and winning prizes. In this part of our course, you will be introduced to the different types of Esports games including the types of genres. However, this course is not just about playing games in fact you will learn how professional teams play these games which requires players and teams to focus on staying physically fit and mentally prepared, as a good gamer needs to look after themselves to prepare for these tournaments. You will explore the different types of leagues and tournaments both at national and international level and how teams show off their skills.



Unit 2: Establishing an Esports Organisation
Within the Esports industry it is important to understand how these teams and Esports related businesses have an impact within the Esports industry. In this unit you will learn about the Esports team branding and how this is created from everything they do, from there the games to their merchandise you see on many websites. You will explore the different Esports organisations and investigate how they use their brand to achieve their goals. But that's not all. As you are on an Esports course you will get the chance to play in the British Esports Student Championships playing against schools and colleges all over the UK taking place in the classroom on Wednesday afternoons from 4pm onwards. As part of this you will learn about how to create your own Esports team branding to include designing your own merch, setting up your Esports team, and even designing the team logo for your Esports team brand. You will learn about how to create, design, and show off a brand to the others. These skills will allow you to progress onto the Level 3 Esports course or other business-related courses, but many people go onto level 3 Esports.


Unit 3: Streaming for Esports
Have you ever watched live streamers carry out commentary on your favourite Esports games such as Nick Eh 30 for Fortnight. Within the Esports industry streamers can make a career playing games to an audience, or they can just stream for fun. In this unit you will learn about the live-streaming technologies used for livestreaming video games and esports and we will look at the individual gamers to arena-based tournament organisers. You consider the streaming and the different skills and strategies that are used in esports games before having a go at livestreaming your own game, developing your technical streaming skills, and reviewing your live streams for future improvement. By studying this unit, you will gain the core skills to enable you to become a streamer in esports or into roles within the esports industry.


Unit 4: Plan for an Esports Event
Within the Esports World it is important to have an understanding how these events are planned and managed which is one of the career pathways in the esports industry. In this unit you will begin to look at what makes an event successful and use this research to create a plan for an esports event of your choice. Your Esports event will be an event we will do as a class in semester two of the course which requires you to carefully plan the event by considering the different factors to make your event successful and draw these together into a plan for the event. But before that, it is important that you are able to convince the client on why you should host your event which you will deliver a short presentation in your group to myself (teacher) to obtain feedback then make changes to your plan before you run the class tournament for the class.


Unit 5: Start an Enterprise in Esports
Have you ever seen Dragons Den? Well, in this unit, you will get the chance to experience this. Entrepreneurs are business people who spot a chance to start their own business by having clear goals and turning their ideas into a business. You will research the different toes of Esports related business, and what makes them successful businesses started. You will get to grips with how to set up your esports startup, including developing the skills to develop and pitch a business plan and get advice to improve your business plan. This unit will prepare you for the business world by covering entrepreneurial skills, boosting your chances of getting a job and providing the fundamentals needed for higher levels of study, such as apprenticeships or universities. You could even start your own business.


Unit 6: Design an Esports Game
Have you ever wondered how games are made? The good news in this unit you will find out as games are made for many different reasons including players having fun, entertainment, research, education, and competitions. With this in mind you will also develop your creativity skills that meet the needs of the games industry. In this unit, you will learn the skills and techniques required to design and produce a games design document. You will consider the basic principles of games design and how to design your own esports game and character. This unit will enable you to develop skills that can be applied to developing a games design document for an esports game.

How will I be assessed?

Throughout the course, you will need to complete 2 assignments for each unit in order to pass. The assignments will include a mixture of reports, practical tasks and being asked to write a reflection about your practical tasks. Your assignments will be graded based on you achieving a Pass, Merit, or a Distinction upon completion of the assignments.

What can I do next

National Extended Diploma in Event Management & Esports
BTEC Level 3 Business Studies
T Level Technical Qualification in Marketing
National Extended Diploma in Game Design and Creative Media, Level 3

Take a look at the career pathways available to you here: https://britishesports.org/esports-and-education/career-pathways/