- Department: Theatre, Film, Television and Interactive Media
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: H
- Academic year of delivery: 2023-24
- See module specification for other years: 2022-23
Esports – video games that are played competitively, watched by large audiences – are a rapidly growing form of mainstream entertainment that lie at the convergence of TV, interactive media and digital games. In this module, you will acquire both a systematic theoretical understanding of the ecosystem of content creation in esports as well as hands-on, practical experience in executing an esports production, combining techniques from across Film and TV Production and Interactive Media. You will learn to understand the esports industry, including its historic roots, the socio-cultural influences and technological developments that paved the way for its rise, as well as acquire knowledge about state-of-the art industry practice borrowed from traditional TV broadcast, interactive media and game design that drives current production practice in esports. You will learn how your existing skills are situated within esports content production, and work in a multi-disciplinary team consisting of students from Film and TV Production as well as Interactive Media to plan and produce a live esports event. Taking advantage of the University of York’s partnership with ESL, the world’s biggest esports company, this module will create interfaces for you to directly engage with industry leaders in esports through a series of guest lectures.
Occurrence | Teaching period |
---|---|
A | Semester 1 2023-24 |
This module aims:
Upon completion of this module, you will:
For students of both programmes, the assessment is broken down into two parts, a practical group assessment and an individual written assessment. Drawing on preparation in the practicals and the contents of the lectures, students of all programmes will work in a team to execute a live esports production (Part A). In part B, students will critically reflect on how esports content production blends elements across TV production and Interactive Media through a critical essay, which is marked individually.
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 60 |
Groupwork | 40 |
None
For students of both programmes, the assessment is broken down into two parts, a practical group assessment and an individual written assessment. Drawing on preparation in the practicals and the contents of the lectures, students of all programmes will work in a team to execute a live esports production (Part A). In part B, students will critically reflect on how esports content production blends elements across TV production and Interactive Media through a critical essay, which is marked individually.
As the practical sessions are directly relevant to the group practical assessment, you will lose 3 marks per practical session missed for this module, where the absence has not been authorised.
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 60 |
Oral presentation/seminar/exam | 40 |
You will receive written feedback in line with standard University turnaround times.
Taylor, T. L (2012). Raising the Stakes: E-sports and the Professionalization of Computer Gaming. MIT Press, ISBN: 9780262527583.
Hamari, J., Sjöblom, M. (2017). What is eSports and why do people watch it? Internet research, 27(2), 211-232.
Schultz, R (2017). Secrets of Sports Broadcasting: Practical Advice for Sportscasting Success. Independently published, ISBN-13: 978-1973166016.
Zarrabi, S. A., & Jerkrot, H. N (2016). Value creation and appropriation in the esports industry. Department of Technology Management and Economics Division of Innovation Engineering and Management, CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, Gothenburg, Sweden. Report No. E 2016:090 (Available at: http://publications.lib.chalmers.se/records/fulltext/238371/238371.pdf)
Mokrusch, M. (2017). A Critical Look at the Ecosystem. Esports Observer. (Available at: https://esportsobserver.com/a-critical-look-at-the-ecosystem-part-1/, https://esportsobserver.com/a-critical-look-at-the-ecosystem-part-2/)
Benjamin Burroughs & Adam Rugg (2014) Extending the Broadcast: Streaming Culture and the Problems of Digital Geographies, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 58:3, 365-380
Klein-Shagri, O. (2017). Para-Interactivity and the Appeal of Television in the Digital Age, Rowman & Littlefield, ISBN: 978-1498540803.
Davis, D. (1960). The grammar of television production. Barrie and Rockliff, ASIN: B0000CKGWE.
Singleton-Turner, R. (2011). Cue & cut : a practical approach to working in multi-camera studios. Manchester University Press, 1 edition, ISBN: 9780719084485.
Schubert, M., Drachen, A., & Mahlmann, T. (2016). Esports Analytics Through Encounter Detection Other Sports. Proceedings of MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. (Available at: http://www.sloansportsconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/1458.pdf)
Syed, M. (2011). Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice. Fourth Estate (GB), ISBN: 978-0007350544.