We’d like to commend Slippery Rock University for adjusting its curriculum to fit students’ interest and working to stay relevant at a time when students have plenty of secondary education options at their fingertips.

The local university’s recent decision to add an esports minor program is a move backed by heaps of supportive research and tied directly to an industry worth upward of $1 billion.

In fact, the local university’s data-driven decision to join other colleges in offering academic esports programs is already yielding success.

The world of esports deals with competitive gaming and the business surrounding it.

More than 40 students have enrolled in the “Introduction to Esports” class for the fall 2021 semester as an elective, prompting a waiting list and a discussion already about a second session.

Previously, SRU had offered an “Introduction to Esports” class, and the new minor program expands on this by teaching event planning and business-related skills.

Outside of “Introduction to Esports,” the other two core classes in the minor are “Introduction to Meetings and Event Management” and “Current Issues in Esports Health and Society.”

Other requirements include electives such as video production, public relations and promotion for events, the fan experience and sports marketing.

It’s more than video games. It’s a serious program intended to train students for careers in the more than $1 billion esports industry.

It’s also important to realize that to attract students, colleges must adjust their programs. They must acknowledge trends that interest their target audience and then react to offer courses that interest the newest generation of students.

In 2018, a Pew Research study found 90% of teens age 13 to 17 play video games to some extent. For boys, that percentage is even more significant, at 97%.

From the outside looking in, Slippery Rock is doing well for itself — or at least hasn’t found itself on the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s chopping block yet.

When the PASSHE Board of Governors announced intentions to consolidate six of the 14 Pennsylvania state-owned universities into two, Slippery Rock wasn’t on the list.

Programs such as the new esports minor help our local university stay on the map. For students who have an interest in esports, the school becomes a contender.

So whether esports is of interest to you or not, we have to give credit to the local university that is adjusting in an effort to attract students.

— TAL