Esports Without Borders – How Different Countries Implement Esports

Anyone with some knowledge about esports is aware of the industry’s scale. There are countless tournaments that attract the best teams and players, and many of the leading Esport titles have become more than just games that gather fans.

According to my research and the team at Nostrabet.com, a lot of countries have started implementing esports in different aspects of life, especially in education. Once you start learning more about it, you will see that many places offer unique esport scholarships, courses, and more.

The growing popularity of esports affects multiple other industries, including online betting. Many of you may want to know more about it, so let’s review everything you should know.

Esports University Degrees

People who want to pursue a career in esports have a couple of options ahead of them. Many dream of becoming professional athletes and playing for some of the world’s biggest teams, but the reality is that this is really hard. The competition is extremely high, and only a handful of players have the needed skills and determination to make it.

Fortunately, esports offers many more options than being a professional player. One of them is pursuing a university degree in this field. As strange as it sounds, there are many universities that offer these kinds of programs.

The first esports degree that became widely popular was introduced in 2018 by Staffordshire University in the UK. Nowadays, you can find a variety of esports bachelor’s degrees in a variety of countries. For example, the Capitol Technology University in the US offers an Esports Management degree. There is also a degree in academic esports at the University of Adger, Norway.

Each university has a different application procedure, course duration, and more. Some of them work hand in hand with the biggest esports companies in the world and can also offer scholarships. Of course, I also want to focus on scholarships because most universities provide different variations.

Speaking of scholarships, countries have different rules that students must follow, so let’s check a few big examples.

The situation in the USA

The US is home to some of the world’s most prestigious universities, some of which offer esports degrees. To make the latter more interesting, these universities often partner with some of the big companies in this industry. By doing this, they can provide people with better opportunities.

Some US states are more involved in Esports than others. California, for example, has an ongoing esports initiative that also includes special tournaments. The state of Georgia is also pro-esports because it has different competitive and educational programs focusing on it.

The UK

This is another country where universities and esports work well. Aside from the many different esports programs, the UK has something called the British Esports Federation Students Championship. This is an exclusive event for different students that allows them to engage in the scene. What’s also interesting is that this event is available even in some schools.

Esports, Programs & Stats

Aside from the different university degrees and courses, there are many parts of the world where schools offer esports classes. When talking about esports, I don’t mean every title because some have way more fans than others. Dota 2 is an excellent example because it is one of the oldest and most popular games in this industry.

My research has revealed that several countries teach Dota 2 (and other esports) in schools. This allows the next generation of players to learn more about the complex games and decide whether they have what it takes to become professional players.

It comes as no surprise that some countries are more developed in the esports industry than others. Education aside, there are nations that focus a lot more on this sport, so let’s learn some details about each one.

Sweden

Generally speaking, Sweden is one of the world’s leaders when it comes to esports. The country has some of the best teams and players in the world, especially for games like Counter-Strike. However, Dota 2 is also big in the country because many of the biggest names in the scene right now come from Scandinavia.

Dota 2 and other esports became an official esport in Sweden more than 10 years ago. Since then, the country has tried to promote the game’s popularity in many ways. For example, there was an initiative where certain high schools in the country added 3 hours of esports classes every week.

USA

As mentioned, the US is an interesting place for esports. Aside from the many universities that provide different degrees, there are also things like esports scholarships, high school clubs, and more. In terms of popular games, Dota 2 has its fair share of fans. The same applies to League of Legends and Counter-Strike.

China

China is undoubtedly one of the leading nations in Esports. Considering its size, it is no surprise that it has world-class players across multiple titles, and Dota 2 is among them. In fact, there was a time when China had the best Dota 2 teams in the world and was dominating all international competitions.

Despite the government’s strict approach towards gaming in general, China has an intriguing approach to Esports. For example, the country added “esports and management” to its allowed college majors in 2016. There are also many different universities that offer majors related to esports.

What’s interesting about China is that the country has a lot of fans that focus on mobile esports. Games like PUBG Mobile and Honor of Kings, for example, are extremely popular and China has some of of the world’s best players.

Philippines

The Philippines is one of the first countries to come to mind when talking about esports and games like Dota 2. The country’s massive population loves Valve’s games, so it is no surprise that Dota 2 is included in many different college programs.

What’s very interesting about the Philippines is that the country had the first Dota 2 school. Courtesy of the University of the Visayas New School of Art and Design, Dota 2 fans in the country can take part in a course that focuses specifically on this game.

Studies from 2024 reveal that the Philippines has more than 43 million active gamers. What’s even more impressive is that the percentage has increased by 12.9% every year since 2017, meaning that the country is one of the hottest options out there.

Malaysia

Moving to the next SEA country, Malaysia is also a popular destination for esports fans worldwide. The country often hosts various tournaments across many games, including Dota 2.

If we examine the opportunities for esports education, we will see that Malaysia offers many. The country invests a lot of money in the industry, and there was an initiative to include esports at the school level. This would allow students to learn more about this industry and decide whether they want to join it.

Nowadays, Malaysia offers different university programs, and there is also a special university competition known as the ACS EDU Tour.

Esports was officially recognized as a sport in 2023, but the country had a governing body since 2014. Unsurprisingly, Malaysia is home to many different world-class players and esports organizations.

South Korea

Even if you are not a big esports fan, you have probably heard that South Korea is one of the biggest names in this industry. The country is famous for its avid gaming culture and is one of the world’s largest esports markets. In fact, some stats reveal that this industry has been present in the country since 1960.

Today, South Korea is famous for having the best StarCraft and League of Legends players worldwide. Lee Sang-hyeok, a.k.a Faker, for example, is widely regarded as the best LoL player in the world, and he comes from South Korea.

In terms of Esports education and implementation, South Korea is once again a leader. It offers Esports Academies that provide high school diplomas, a special esports exchange programme focusing on university students, and much more.

How will all of this affect Esports betting?

If you visit any of the big websites that provide sports betting options, you will notice that each one has a separate esports betting section. This was not the case before, but these sites have realized that people like esports. As a result, players have access to way more games and markets than before.

Considering the investments in education and the growing popularity of this industry, I expect to see even more options for betting fans. Nowadays, some esports betting sites offer special bonuses and unique features, but I believe we will have even more opportunities.

Esports betting is fun because it usually includes special markets that are not offered elsewhere. Thanks to some of the big live streaming platforms, almost all bookies also offer live streaming. This makes wagering on games like Dota 2, League of Legends and Counter-Strike much more enjoyable.