Herkimer College to offer Esports Management program. Here's what it will look like

Starting next semester, Herkimer College will offer an Esports Management program. It will be a two-year program, awarding an A.A.S degree upon completion. The program is one of the first of its kind to be offered by colleges and universities in the Mohawk Valley area.

Esports consists of teams of professional and semi-professional gamers who face off in highly competitive gaming tournaments. While many people may dismiss playing video games as simply a hobby or past time, the Esports industry has seen rapid growth in recent years. In 2021, the industry was evaluated by Fortune Business Insights as being worth $1.22 billion, and analysts expect its value to continue to skyrocket in the years to come.

The new Esports Management program is being spearheaded by two people: Joshua Lanza, an academic support center specialist and head coach of the school's Esports team, as well as Steven Boucher, an assistant business professor. With Lanza's experience in Esports and Boucher's experience in business, the two hope to combine their talents and knowledge to provide students with the skills necessary to succeed in the Esports industry.

Boucher described their vision for the program as, "a business program with Esports in mind."

Boucher said that 75% percent of the coursework within the program will be business courses, with classes like marketing management, business law and customer service. It will also contain general education courses, such as humanities and English. On top of that, it will contain coursework specific to Esports, with Lanza saying he would be teaching an Intro to Esports class.

Lanza and Boucher described the skills required of a career in Esports management as being multi-faceted; as an Esports manager, you're a coach, event planner, promoter, salesman, businessman and communication specialist all wrapped into one. As a result of the variety of skills required, Boucher stressed the fact that graduates from the program could use their degree to branch off in a multitude of directions.

"So if three years down the road, four years down the road, you say to me 'I don't know where Esports fits into my life anymore,'" said Boucher. "You'll have these skills that will catapult you into any other business degree."

Lanza, a lifelong gamer and Herkimer College alum, said that he realized Esports was a viable career field when he was hired as St. Lawrence University's Esports program director in 2021.

"I really just rolled the dice with that application, like I had absolutely no intention that they might pick me," said Lanza. "For me, it was like, 'I could make a full time job out of this, somebody else could.'"

Lanza said his experience working for St. Lawrence helped him shape his vision for the program, and also named Charlie Murray, the Esports director at SUNY Canton, as someone who he has helped guide him in the process.

While admissions have not opened up yet for the Fall 2023 semester, Boucher is hopeful the program will fill out. Boucher is shooting to accommodate up to 35 students for the program's first semester. He also believes that it may attract students to Herkimer College who may not have shown interest in the school otherwise.

"Some students, when they're very young, they don't know what they want to do," said Boucher. "So we think this will be an exciting area. They're gonna say, 'You know what, I never thought of that, I think I'm gonna go to Herkimer.'"

While it's easy to see how a program centered around video games may appeal to students, there's no guarantee that parents will share the same enthusiasm. Lanza and Boucher acknowledged this and tried their best to quell any potential concerns.

"The number one thing to parents is, you are not sending your son or daughter here to just play video games," Lanza said.

Boucher said students interested in Esports would adhere to the same guidelines as any other student-athlete.

"Just like the basketball team if your grades aren't up, you can't play," said Boucher. "You can't just come here and play video games."

This article originally appeared on Times Telegram: Herkimer College announces new Esports management program