Esports has continued to experience rapid development in Indonesia since it was officially recognized as a branch of sport by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemenpora RI). With the entry of Esports into major events such as PON XXI 2024, its appeal has become even more widespread, especially among young people. Esports is now not only seen as entertainment, but also as a promising career opportunity.
Seeing this great potential, the Vocational Education Program of Universitas Indonesia (UI), through the Media Production Study Program (Prodi), in collaboration with EVOS Esports, held a talk show with the theme “Esports dan Industri di Sekitarnya” (Esports and the Surrounding Industry). This event is part of Etopia 2024, a series of events organized by the UI Media Production Student Association (HIMPRODIA), and took place on Thursday, September 12, at the UI Vocational Auditorium.
The Director of the UI Vocational Education Program, Padang Wicaksono, S.E., Ph.D., emphasized the importance of directing passion in playing games to a more positive and productive path. “Many students like to play games at Universitas Indonesia. Hopefully, friends who have this passion can develop it in a more positive direction, even becoming one of the promising professions in the future,” said Padang.
This activity aims to open students’ insights about the great potential of Esports, which is now recognized not only as entertainment, but also as a serious professional and academic field. The talk show presented Esports practitioners, academics, and professional players (pro players) who shared their experiences and insights about the development of Esports and its positive impact on society.
One of the speakers, Aufa Bassam, Performance Lead from EVOS Esports, explained that success in the world of Esports requires alignment of vision and mission between players and the coaching team. “A successful team is a team that is always in one voice and one family, both when winning and losing,” said Aufa. In addition to playing skills, he also emphasized the importance of skills such as storytelling, decision-making, and good communication in building a career in this industry.
Aufa also emphasized the growth of Esports in Indonesia since the 2020 pandemic. According to him, this industry is increasingly stable thanks to strong social support between players. “This industry is increasingly sustainable, especially with the strong social network among players,” he said.
From the player’s side, Regi Marviola aka Fluffy, a pro player from EVOS, shared stories about the challenges and pressure to always be the best. “Maintaining the mood and enthusiasm to play is very important. One way is to find entertainment outside of games to refresh your mind,” said Fluffy, while emphasizing the importance of a vision and mission that is in line with the team.
The UI Vocational Media Production Study Program sees this phenomenon as a great opportunity. An innovative step was taken by including Esports as one of the interests in its curriculum. This decision aims to develop new knowledge in the field of Esports and open up wider career opportunities for students. The curriculum offered is dynamic and always updated according to industry needs, so that students are ready to compete in a competitive job market.
Collaboration with EVOS Esports allows students to not only learn theory, but also gain direct experience from professionals in the industry. With the development of the Esports curriculum at UI Vocational, career opportunities in various fields such as player management, tournament management, shoutcasting, and production management will be even more open.
