Access Creative College Plymouth (ACC) has officially opened the doors to their brand-new, custom built games and esports wing, catering to young people with a passion for games. Students will explore cutting edge topics such as games art, storytelling, character design, world-building and competitive gaming or ‘esports’.
The games is predicted to be worth $406.2 billion(*) in 2023, with the esports industry worth a predicted $3.8 billion(+) this year, and they are still growing rapidly. As the sectors expand, audiences numbers inflate and with that rapid inflation come a wealth of new, viable careers.
With an expansion of careers come impressive salaries. An average salary in esports is £40,585 per annum (Glassdoor), for example, with a game developer expected to earn an average of £52,500 per annum (Talent.com). To ensure continued growth in these sectors, a constant flow of highly-skilled, passionate and trained professionals is vital, and that’s where Access Creative College comes in.
The new wing contains the latest in professional grade technology including gaming PCs with high-spec NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti graphics cards, pro-gaming peripheral keyboard and mouse bundles from MSi, Nitro gaming chairs, Rode professional studio microphones and more.
Alongside high-spec technology, a key focus when designing the new space was ambience and ‘real-world’ professionalism, with special consideration going to RGB lighting, furniture including custom desks, and even a five seat esports competition arena.
“Our new industry-class esports tournament space and Games Development facilities provide an exciting opportunity to deliver an expanding creative curriculum in the heart of the South West. We’re proud to deliver a range of high quality courses in cutting edge spaces, with industry expert tutors who are dedicated to delivering the best educational experience for all.
Our courses develop transferable skills to prepare learners for a successful future in the UK creative industry. This incredible new addition to the campus allows us to welcome more passionate creatives than ever before, working with employers to fill skill gaps now and in the future.”
– Matthew Mills, Campus Manager, ACC Plymouth
While games has been offered at ACC Plymouth since the centre launched in 2021, esports is a new course and an important focus of the educator. Access’s ACES esports team, already established in other cities, is expected to launch in 2024. ACES teams compete regionally in external, professional competitions in popular games including Overwatch, League of Legends, Rocket League and Valorant, and have regularly reached semi-final stages. The teams are another way for young people to get direct experience of the industry and boost their career opportunities, with a number of team roles on offer every year.
If you are interested in seeing this incredible new space and the wider ACC Plymouth campus, visit accesscreative.ac.uk/events to register for an upcoming open day.