We do have a diversity of perspectives in the Media & News team here, but we all have one thing in common: we are students at the University of Oklahoma. What could the topics of our articles have turned into if we were from Syracuse University, Ohio State University or Stanford University? How would the unique experiences of our schools change the way we view the world?
The voices of those who have had those different experiences are exactly what we need. The more perspectives that are explored in esports and gaming journalism, the better everyone will be. More students will become versed in communication and reports in arts, culture, technology, sports and more all within the common topic of gaming.
The development of students should always be the core of everything created at the university level, but I can’t act as if the esports programs can’t benefit themselves. Any school can excel at competition, but that doesn’t matter if no one knows about it. Sponsors won’t invest their money and product if they don’t physically see any results come from it.
Journalism is storytelling, and good media and news programs are the ones that wield the tools to bring the stories of an esports department to the light. These student journalists know how to make people care about these topics.
And if you’re worried about not being able to recruit enough students who want to work specifically in esports journalism? Then you need to think broader. Of course, we’ve had some students end up in esports journalism or even in the more general category of arts and culture journalism, but most have not.
I’ve been the coordinator of the team for a year and a half, and I’m not even going into journalism at all. But my work has prepared me for my career, and I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that some potential employers were impressed when I brought up my work with the program in interviews.
In the end, I think it’s a pretty great deal for any collegiate esports space. You can develop students in journalism and beyond, make people care about your program, and help carve a bigger place for students in esports and gaming journalism.