The most jaw-dropping Winter Olympics 2022 action of all comes in the freestyle skiing and, now into the last week, we've got the men's aerial finals, the halfpipe and the ski cross still to enjoy. Want to see the most death-defying snow sport of all, with athletes performing some most breath-taking acrobatics on the planet? Tune in now. Here's how to watch a freestyle skiing live stream wherever you are.
Located 100 miles northwest of Beijing, the Genting Ski Park consists of six tracks and multiple courses where the skiing as well as snowboarding events will take place.
The tracks vary depending on the event, with some such as the mogul track featuring a series of bumps and mounds, while others like the slopestyle consist of tracks littered with a variety of obstacles including jumps, rails, and boxes.
There are tons of excellent freestyle skiing athletes at this year’s Winter Olympics, but one to keep an eye on is Canadian Mikael Kingsbury. Known as the “king of moguls,” Kingsbury is one of the most dominant mogul skiers in the sport’s history.
Another name to keep track of is Eileen Gu, the 2021 halfpipe and slopestyle world champion. The Winter Olympics freestyle skiing takes place from February 3-19, and below you'll find all the information on how to watch a freestyle skiing live stream from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, wherever you are in the world.
Watch a freestyle skiing live stream with a VPN
There are so many events going on at the Winter Olympics that not every country's TV and streaming coverage shows every discipline. If you can't get the freestyle skiing where you are, then you can use a VPN to tune into a live stream from another country – something you might need to do if travelling abroad.
By downloading and installing a VPN , you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it's back at home in the same country as the streaming service that you're trying to access. That way you can enjoy your home coverage without having to find an illegal stream - assuming you comply with the broadcaster's fine print, of course.
Use a VPN to watch the freestyle skiing from anywhere
How to use a VPN
Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three...
1. Download and install a VPN - as we say, our top choice is ExpressVPN
2. Connect to the appropriate server location - open the VPN app, hit 'choose location', eg: select 'US' for Peacock, or 'UK' for BBC, 'Australia' for 7Plus, or 'Canada' for CBC.
3. Go to the broadcaster's live stream - so that might be 7Plus , CBC , BBC iPlayer or Peacock TV .
Freestyle skiing live stream: how to watch Beijing 2022 online in the UK
USA: Freestyle skiing live stream: watch every Beijing 2022 event on Peacock
Freestyle skiing live stream: how to watch Beijing 2022 online in Australia
Freestyle skiing live stream: how to watch Beijing 2022 online in Canada
Watch the freestyle skiing: live stream Beijing 2022 in New Zealand
Beijing 2022 freestyle skiing: dates and times
February 3
Women’s Moguls Qualification 1: 10:00am GMT, 5:00am ET, 2:00am PT
Men’s Moguls Qualification 1: 11:45am GMT, 6:45am ET, 3:45am PT
Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics schedule and events
Obi-Wan Kenobi series: Disney Plus release date, trailer, and more
Obi-Wan Kenobi is preparing to unsheathe his lightsaber once more. The legendary Jedi Master's standalone TV series launches later this month, and we couldn't be more excited for its arrival.
Our hype levels for the Star Wars show have been growing in the months-long build up to the Disney Plus series ' release. The arrival of a new, 90-second trailer on May 4 (aka Star Wars Day), though, sent our anticipation levels through the roof, and we suspect it did likewise to yours, too. Here's hoping, then, that the miniseries delivers an engrossing story that's befitting of Obi-Wan and the rest of the show's characters.
If Obi-Wan's new teaser has set your pulses racing, we suspect you're eager to learn more about the show before it's released. That's where we come in. Below, you'll find out everything worth knowing about the latest Star Wars Disney Plus show, including its release, all-star cast, potential plot points, whether there'll be a second season, and more.
It goes without saying, but we mention spoilers from Star Wars Episode I to Episode IV, The Clone Wars, and any other film or TV show that Obi-Wan has appeared in. Additionally, there may be possible spoilers for the character's limited series from now on. So just be aware in case you want to watch the show with no prior knowledge of what it might include.
Obi-Wan Kenobi release date: May 27
Obi-Wan Kenobi will backflip his way onto Disney Plus on Friday, May 27 .
Initially, the Jedi's standalone tale was slated to arrive on Wednesday, May 25 . However, it was pushed back by two days – a move likely owing to the fact it would have clashed with Ms Marvel , the next MCU TV show, when that Marvel Phase 4 project starts airing on Wednesday, June 8. However, Obi-Wan's new release date does mean it'll clash the first tranche of Stranger Things season 4 , so it may be worth booking the day off to stream both programs.
Disappointingly, Obi-Wan's rescheduled release date means it won't arrive exactly 45 years on from the original release of Star Wars Episode IV. A New Hope was the first time we'd seen the iconic Jedi Master on-screen, so the show's original debut would've be a wonderful tribute to Alec Guinness' first appearance as Obi-Wan. Still, we're secretly glad that Obi-Wan's TV series won't go head to head with Ms Marvel, and we're sure plenty of Star Wars and Marvel fans are, too.
There are plenty of other reasons to be hopeful about Obi-Wan's TV series. Aside from its stellar cast (more on those later), The Mandalorian director Deborah Chow helms the show, while Army of the Dead 's Joby Harold, 47 Ronin's Hossein Amini, Collateral's Stuart Beattie, and Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton are among its writing team. Oh, and Loki's composer Natalie Holt (per Vanity Fair ) has teamed up with Star Wars icon John Williams to score the miniseries. Not a bad chief creative crew to have, eh?
Finally, you can expect Obi-Wan's TV series to carry a similar age rating to its fellow Star Wars TV shows. Per the series' Disney Plus page, Obi-Wan Kenobi won't be suitable to viewers under nine years of age. The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett received 14+ and 12+ age ratings (in the UK at least), so expect the Jedi's standalone tale to follow suit.
Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer: check out the official trailer
The second and final trailer for Obi-Wan's TV series landed on Star Wars Day, i May 4. And, if it doesn't get you completely hyped for the six-part miniseries' arrival, we're not sure what will.
The latest trailer opens with a montage of the Sith Inquisitors (and their Stormtrooper army) searching any remaining Jedi. An overlay from Obi-Wan accompanies the footage, with the reclusive Jedi telling an unknown individual "They're coming" and "Stay hidden, or we will not survive". It's possible he's talking to Lars Owen, the guardian of Luke Skywalker, with the duo having a bit of a spat over Luke needing to be trained. Instead, he could be conversing with another Jedi (that may be clever trailer editing right there), but we'll have to wait for the show's arrival to be sure.
Regardless, it isn't long before the action kicks off and truly gets us pumped for the show's eventual release. The Grand Inquisitor and Reva discuss their pursuit of Obi-Wan, before a voice over from the latter accompanies a myriad of shots of Obi-Wan fighting (and evading) the Empire's forces.
We also get a brief look at Kumail Nanjiani's unnamed character (is he another Jedi in hiding? It appears so, based on his clothing) and, before the trailer ends, a brief appearance from Darth Vader. Sure, it's just his suit being assembled but the footage, coupled with his iconic breathing, is enough to up the tension levels, as shown by Obi-Wan's furrowed brow in the trailer's final shot.
Meanwhile, if you missed the show's first teaser, you can check it out below:
The first teaser for Obi-Wan Kenobi landed online on March 9. We got a glimpse at Daiyu, a new neon-infused world that Obi-Wan and his Inquisitor pursuers will travel to, the villainous reveals of Rupert Friend's Grand Inquisitor and Moses Ingram's Reva, a brief shot of Indira Varma's unnamed Empire officer, and plenty of sweeping vista shots.
Before either trailer dropped, the closest thing we had to a teaser was a behind-the-scenes sneak peek that debuted during the Disney Plus Day celebrations in November 2021. This featured a mix of concept art, and talking head footage with Ewan McGregor and director Deborah Chow:
The stills provided plenty of talking points. The first shows Obi-Wan Kenobi facing off against Darth Vader in some fiery location – could they be having a rematch at Mustafar, site of their fateful battle in Revenge of the Sith?
Until the first trailer's arrival, the fourth image – with its Inquisitors' tease – was the most intriguing. The Inquisitors have already featured in Star Wars: Rebels, which takes place around five years after Obi-Wan Kenobi, and other canonical stories. Now we know they'll show up in Obi-Wan's TV series, we're pleased that they'll definitely be the villains of the piece.
Other images feature Vader in his shrine on Mustafar, some vehicles that look rather like the Snowspeeders from The Empire Strikes Back, and some new landscapes – one of which looks rather like something out of Blade Runner. Could this urban setting mean a return to Coruscant for Obi-Wan? Seeing as it's the seat of Imperial government, it would be a risky move for Kenobi, but if needs must...
Obi-Wan Kenobi plot: what's it about?
Spoilers follow for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Per StarWarom , Obi-Wan Kenobi is set 10 years after Revenge of the Sith, and therefore nine years before A New Hope.
At the end of Episode III, Obi-Wan defeated Anakin Skywalker and left him to burn on Mustafar. Anakin's body was retrieved by Emperor Palpatine, who transformed Anakin into Darth Vader, thus beginning the Empire's galactic reign of terror.
Obi-Wan, meanwhile, secretly worked with Yoda and Senator Bail Organa to hide Anakin and Padmé's children – i Luke and Leia Skywalker – from the Empire. Obi-Wan took Luke to the latter's Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru on Tatooine, before he began his new life on the desert planet as an exiled Jedi who, by the looks of it, lives a simple life in a cave. In the years that followed, he's been watching over Luke and trying to come to terms with his failure as a mentor to Anakin.
Deborah Chow previously confirmed that the starting point will be Obi-Wan carrying out his lonely assignment to protect Luke. We see him in the trailer, after all, mimicking his dad's old podracer moves.
It seems from there, though, Obi-Wan will be pulled into an adventure that takes him to other places across the galaxy. That journey is likely to be down to the Inquisitors' arrival on Tatooine – we see Reva confront Uncle Lars in the first trailer – and Obi-Wan's desire to keep Luke safe. If the Inquisitors are searching for Obi-Wan and other Force-sensitive beings – you know, such as Luke – then Obi-Wan's objective is clear: leave Tatooine, draw the Inquisitors away from the Skywalker pup, and potentially try to pick them off. Or, at the very least, throw them off the scent.
It may be an episode or two before Obi-Wan rediscovers the fight to do that, though. According to McGregor (per Entertainment Weekly (EW)), viewers will find Obi-Wan "rather broken, and faithless, and beaten, somewhat given up". That's to be expected, given what transpired in Episode III.
Series writer Joby Harold elaborated on the Empire's growing influence as the show begins, telling EW : "[We're] in a time of darkness in the galaxy. The Empire is in the ascendancy, and all the horrors that come with the Empire are being made manifest throughout the galaxy. And the Jedi Order as we know them are being all but wiped out. So everything that was in the prequels has crumbled."
While Obi-Wan's TV show may start off in a bleak place, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy revealed that the aim was to create a "hopeful, uplifting story" (per EW ). "It's tricky when you're starting with a character in the state that Obi-Wan would be in coming off of Revenge of the Sith," she added. "That's a pretty bleak period of time. You can't just wave the magic wand with any writer and arrive at a story that necessarily reflects what you want to feel."
Adds series writer Joby Harold: "When we last saw Obi-Wan in the prequels, he's very emotional. There's a passion to him. And when we get to see him again in A New Hope, he is the Zen master. That was the story that I wanted to understand — what had happened to Obi-Wan between the guy that Ewan had brought to life and the guy that Sir Alec Guinness brought to life."
Aside from McGregor's obvious return as Obi-Wan, the other big news is that he'll meet his fallen apprentice Anakin Skywalker, aka Darth Vader, again. It marks the return of Hayden Christensen to the role 17 years after his final appearance (like McGregor) in Revenge of the Sith. Christensen could have been brought back to reprise his role in 2016's Rogue One but, as he told EW : "I wasn't a part of any of those conversations."
However, following a chat with Deborah Chow, Christensen was on board. Speaking to Total Film , Christensen also stated that Obi-Wan's TV show gets to explore the "complexity" of the character, adding: "Getting to explore the mindset and the emotional state of Darth Vader has been a lot of fun."
So, how does one immerse themselves in the Star Wars universe after a new two-decade hiatus? If you're Christensen, you binge watch every other Star Wars project (since you last appeared) to reacquaint yourself with such a legendary character.
"I went back and rewatched all the films," he told EW . "And I also got into the animated shows, The Clone Wars and Rebels. They did a lot with these characters in those shows, and they did further explore the relationship [between Obi-Wan and Anakin]. There was interesting stuff there to learn about. It was great fun getting to go back and re-immerse yourself in this world that just continues to grow and become more and more vast."
It's possible that we could see Vader sans his legendary black helmet, too, with Christensen teasing as much in a chat with EW . "I wish I could tell you," Christensen coyly said. "I'm sworn to secrecy." Either way, we'll be seeing a "very powerful Vader", according to Christensen, when the Sith Lord makes his highly anticipated return.
Kennedy has described the encounter between Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi as “the rematch of the century” (per WeGotThisCovered ) which goes without saying. Speaking to Total Film , McGregor teased the fear Obi-Wan expresses during this confrontation, with the actor's own real-world fright playing a key role in the scene in question. "I'd rehearsed the scene with Vader, but not with the helmet on or anything like that. When we came to do the scene, when they shouted 'action', he had to come from behind me. I turned around, and f****** Darth Vader was coming at me. It gave me a proper jolt of absolute fear. I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s not acting. That’s real. I’m really, truly frightened right now.'"
Vader and Kenobi’s eagerly anticipated rematch doesn’t have to violate canon, either. While we’d assumed their previous meeting had been that fateful encounter on Mustafar, the timeline is ambiguous. In A New Hope, Vader describes Kenobi as “a presence I’ve not felt since…” That “since” could mean any time in the previous two decades, but as Chow told EW : "It [Vader's line] was definitely something we were very mindful of. And for me also taking on [George Lucas'] legacy, it's an honor to take these characters and be able to tell a new story with them. So I wanted to be very respectful to what exists and not change anything that George intended originally or anything like that."
Speaking to Forbes , McGregor has said he hoped to do justice to Obi-Wan once more, especially for the young audience that grew up watching the maligned (not in their eyes, mind you) prequel trilogy.
"It’s quite interesting, after the experience of making the first three films and living through sort of their reception in the world, which wasn’t always glowing, I have to say," McGregor mused. "And then now, meeting the generation who we made those films for, the children then – and now, people in their late teens or early 20s, those people who were kids who we made those films for, they loved them. To them, they’re their Star Wars films, you know?
"For us, it was the original films of the ‘70s, but for them, it was our films were their Star Wars. So to step back into his shoes again now and do a series, a whole series about Obi-Wan Kenobi for those fans, it just makes me really happy."
It isn't only the prequel trilogy that Obi-Wan's TV show has to take into account. The legacy of the original Star Wars film trilogy is of paramount importance, as Chow earlier alluded to, especially from an inspiration perspective. As Chow told Total Film , Obi-Wan leans heavily into the works of Akira Kurosawa – George Lucas was influenced by Kurosawa's projects way back in the 1970s – while Andrew Dominik's The Assassination of Jesse James and John Hillcoat's The Proposition were also key influences on Obi-Wan's TV series.
Obi-Wan Kenobi cast: who is playing who?
Here's the lowdown on the show's confirmed cast and the characters they're set to portray (those that we know of, anyway):
Ewan McGregor will reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi for the first time since 2005's Revenge of the Sith (though he had brief voice cameos in The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker). As confirmed at Disney's Investor Day in December 2020 , Hayden Christensen also returns as Darth Vader.
In April 2021, the full cast for the show was revealed . Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse will reprise their Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith roles as Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru Lars – i the couple who raised Luke. Owen is the son of Cliegg Lars, the Tatooine moisture farmer who marries Anakin's mom, Shmi, in Attack of the Clones.
Meanwhile, the show's first trailer revealed that Moses Ingram (The Tragedy of Macbeth) will play a new villain called Reva, aka Third Sister. She's given this title because she likely replaced Second Sister in the Inquisitorius ranks, who was killed by Vader in the EA-published Star Wars videogame Jedi: Fallen Order .
Reva, then, is one of the Sith Inquisitors' newest recruits. These elite hunters help the Empire to track down any remaining Jedi after Order 66 was executed in Revenge of the Sith. Per EW' s first-look cover story, Reva will be a "formidable new foe" who is "ruthlessly ambitious".
In a separate chat with EW , Chow provided a little more information on why Ingram's Reva could be the next iconic Star Wars (and, in particular, Sith) character. "[She's] a new character that is not from the animated series and it's also, for me, really exciting also to bring a female villain and to have a dark side woman of a very significant role. She's very ambitious and she's got a lot going on, and I think Moses just did a fantastic job with it."
Meanwhile, Rupert Friend (Homeland) will play the Grand Inquisitor, the leader of Vader's Jedi-hunting operation. Sung Kang ( Fast and Furious ) has also been revealed to be playing Fifth Brother, another Inquisitor, by StarWarom .
According to Ingram, Reva, Darth Vader, and the Grand Inquisitor are "all on the same team". You'd expect as much but, given how the Sith regularly betray each other in Star Wars, we may see something of that ilk again in Obi-Wan's standalone show. We'll have to wait and see.
Finally, Indira Varma ( Game of Thrones ) also appears to be playing a Galactic Empire officer, while Kumail Nanjiani ( Eternals ) seems to be portraying another Jedi recluse. Both characters' identities are yet to be revealed.
Other confirmed cast members include O’Shea Jackson Jr (Straight Outta Compton), Simone Kessell (The Crossing), and Benny Safdie (Good Time). There's no word on who they'll play, though.
Another as-yet-unknown character will be played by PEN15 and Scoob! actor Maya Erskine. Deadline say Erskine will have a supporting role for at least three episodes, so Erskine's character may have a prominent role in proceedings. Finally, Grant Feely (per The Hollywood Reporter ) has been confirmed to play young Luke Skywalker.
Venturing into the realms of speculation, there's a good chance some familiar Star Wars characters might enter Obi-Wan's orbit.
We've already seen Luke in Obi-Wan's first teaser. Additionally, at this point in the timeline, Yoda is alive on Dagobah. As far as they know, Yoda and Obi-Wan are the only two Jedi who survived the Emperor's Order 66 purge, so they may use the Force to make contact with each other. That could mean Frank Oz returning to a voice role he first played in The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 – and most recently reprised in The Rise of Skywalker. Wherever Darth Vader goes, Emperor Palpatine is usually pulling the strings, so we may see (or hear) more from the wonderful Ian McDiarmid.
There could also be a way back for Obi-Wan's old Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, even though he was killed by Maul in The Phantom Menace. Speaking of Maul, director Deborah Chow has confirmed to Total Film that "we’ve never had Darth Maul in any of it [the Obi-Wan series]." That's one rumor that has been debunked, then.
But back to Qui-Gon. At the end of Revenge of the Sith, Yoda told Obi-Wan that he'd been communing with Qui-Gon, who'd discovered a way to retain his consciousness after death.
It seems unlikely that a franchise as fond of call backs as Star Wars would miss the opportunity to pick up this particular plot thread. The question is, will Liam Neeson reprise the role? It wouldn't be the first time – he voiced Qui-Gon in episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels – but the actor denied he was going to appear in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel in June 2021 (via EW ). Since then, Neeson has revealed he would be open to return to the Star Wars universe, but only for a movie (per ComicBookom ).
Regardless of whether Neeson's Qui-Gon appears or not, it sounds like there'll be plenty of cameos to keep Star Wars fans happy. Speaking to Hey U Guys , Rupert Friend suggested that "there are wonderful cameos that I obviously can't tell you about" and "Easter eggs galore" that crop up.
Friend's comments were backed up by Chow, who told Total Film : "There’s going to be different people that come into his life. One of the things I was trying to do with this series was to have the legacy, and who is important in Obi-Wan’s life, and to also have some new characters. So it’s going to be a mixture of the two. But I do think there are some surprises to come."
McGregor, though, may have let one possible cameo appearance slip ahead of time. In a Jimmy Kimmel interview , McGregor alluded to the fact that Obi-Wan's TV show may be tied to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the videogame starring Cameron Monaghan as Cal Kestis. "Star Wars is now... it's the movies, but it's also TV shows and computer games, novels, cartoons, comics... and all of the storylines have to match up. You can't have a fact in the videogame that doesn't match up to the movie."
Given that Fallen Order takes place five years after Revenge of the Sith, it's plausible that Cal Kestis may cross paths with Obi-Wan if he seeks out allies in his battle with the Inquisitors. Our guess? Kestis won't appear, but it'd be great if he did.
Finally, a curious article from StarWarsNewet implies that Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea will make an appearance. There's no word on who he'll play but, given that he'll be "wielding a cool looking blaster", maybe he'll be one of those bounty hunters (mentioned in the second trailer) that Reva calls on to locate Obi-Wan Kenobi.
What we want from Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney Plus
The Star Wars prequels remain contentious more than 15 years after George Lucas wrapped the movies up. Some of the commentary on the films from younger viewers suggests there's a generational divide on opinion around the prequels, probably helped by the well-received animated series The Clone Wars.
For us, though, they never truly lived up to the promise of telling Darth Vader's true origin story, or making the Clone Wars seem all that interesting.
Still, this series is an opportunity to build on the latent potential of the prequel setting – and to add extra dimensions to the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan. Salvaging the reputation of the films is probably too big an ask from this show, but continuing the story and finding something new to say about the characters is appealing. And whatever you think of the end result, McGregor was a consistent highlight of the three movies.
If nothing else, the lightsaber battle on Mustafar was the most visually spectacular part of Episode III – if this truly is the rematch of the century, as Lucasfilm has been teasing, will we see the Obi-Wan Kenobi series try and top that? Let's hope so.
And what of a potential second season? Obi-Wan's TV show has been billed as a 'one and done' season, but McGregor told Total Film he'd be open to returning to the role. "If we were to get an opportunity to do it again, I’d be totally up for that," he said before jokingly adding: "Here I go again. It’s like me knocking at Disney’s door again!”
Providing there's more story to tell in Kenobi's character arc, we'd be down to see McGregor reprise the role again. But, if his standalone show wraps up Obi-Wan Kenobi's journey (in a live-action capacity), we'd be okay with that, too.
Your kids could learn gaming at school – and you should be happy about it
If I had told my parents that I wanted to study competitive gaming at college, I can only imagine the explosive reaction I would have experienced. Luckily, public opinion on gaming has changed considerably since I left school back in 2010, and an interesting twist of fate has resulted in my younger sibling actually experiencing that hypothetical scenario late last year when they announced that they were going to study esports . To my surprise, I was the only family member who objected to the idea.
For those not in the loop, esports is an abbreviation of 'electronic sports' that refers to competitive video gaming. I was harboring the same reservations that I assumed my parents would – that the chances of a career as a ‘professional gamer’ were slim, and that chasing such a dream came with too many risks. I tentatively suggested safer (albeit more boring) course options that I believed would offer more useful career skills, but was quickly shot down not only by the rest of my siblings but also by both of my parents.
As it turns out, they’re not alone. A UK study from Dell Technologies found that 48% of parents believe esports should be added to the school/college curriculum, while 69% think esports could allow their child to develop skills that they might not get through traditional education methods.
In fact, it's not just parents who had a positive view on esports within education, as alongside the 1,500 parents polled in the study, an additional 500 financial decision-makers such as headteachers and department heads, also expressed a positive view of the subject, with a whopping 79% believing it should be taught in schools.
Not just for the rich kids
The same data does also confirm a few suspicions I had though, with only 32% of the same parents expressing they would be happy for their child to pursue a career within esports, and 67% admitting that their own lack of education regarding the subject made it difficult to discuss. Given the seemingly explosive rise in popularity during the last decade, this is an understandable concern and one that I myself had fallen into despite actively watching and supporting the esports industry.
A trap I had fallen into was that of thinking these kids would literally be sat down in front of an expensive gaming system for 8 hours a day learning in-game skills for League of Legends , Dota 2 and other popular competitive titles. In reality, the courses created by the British Esports Association are well balanced, teaching essential skills that are easily applicable outside of a gaming environment such as social media marketing, broadcasting, business planning and event production.
Being introduced to these skillsets can connect to a wide variety of careers, so that even if the student chooses not to pursue esports following graduation, they have the means to enter the world of community management, game publishing and marketing, just to name a few. In fact, that same sibling that expressed an interest in the esports course has since left to instead pursue journalism and broadcasting after falling in love with shoutcasting (a style of live broadcast commentary born from esports).
One of the biggest concerns I had outside of how beneficial these courses would be long-term was also regarding how diverse they are. After all, consoles, gaming computers and laptops are incredibly expensive, and not every family has the luxury of providing that kind of hardware, which could effectively exclude those from low-income families or the care system from ever applying in the first place.
I was fortunate enough to discuss these concerns with Camilla Maurice, who runs an esports course at Mid Kent College. She expressed that not only do 70% of parents believe that esports promotes inclusivity, but also that the hardware required to actually join the course was much more affordable than I initially assumed as most of the expensive tech required for both gaming and streaming is often made available on campus. She affirmed that “Kids only really need access to a laptop or tablet to complete coursework, so the hardware they need at home isn’t too different from that required by any other course”.
Kill 'em with kindness (virtually speaking)
Finances aside, this wasn’t the only inclusivity issue I had concerns with. While gender-targeted discrimination is rare in professional matches, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a female gamer who hadn’t experienced toxic behavior because of their sex in online game lobbies. I myself no longer play any competitive titles because of this, so I was relieved to hear that this is something being addressed within the courses currently being run.
Gary Tibbet, an educational manager for the British Esports Association informed me that toxic behavior is addressed with the curriculum, stating “we have a zero-tolerance policy on toxic behavior of any kind. Attacking someone based on anything from their sex or in-game skill isn’t permitted. We’re seeing a much more inclusive environment within colleges these days as people start to understand that their classmates are there because they share a common interest and passion”.
It seems that alongside skills that will be genuinely helpful outside of gaming, people attending these courses are also learning how to have a healthy relationship with online spaces and competitive environments. Regardless of your feelings towards kids yearning to be ‘pro gamers’, nipping trollish and toxic behavior in the bud is a positive step forward.
It's likely that global Covid-19 related lockdowns have also helped to foster some positive attitudes towards hobbies like gaming too. With families trapped at home, parents have had a great opportunity to understand more about esports and gaming from their children, reducing the stigma associated with them. After all, outside of video calling platforms like Zoom, online gaming offered the opportunity for children to interact with their friends during a period of time when nobody could leave the house.
The last few months have certainly opened my eyes to an educational prejudice I wasn’t aware I had. Hypocritically, my own degree specialized in prosthetic makeup and wig making, which is a far cry from writing about computing and gaming, but you’d be surprised at how well the skillsets for the two can overlap.
Yes, it’s statistically unlikely that every graduate of these courses is going to become a famous esports athlete, but they could be production managers, journalists, and much much more, all while having a healthier relationship with gaming at their age than the previous generation. As the esports and gaming industry continues to grow, we’re gonna need a lot more of that.