With its global popularity and prominence, this course aims to demystify esports, provide learners with insights to the esports ecosystem and community, examine the effects of gaming, and understand roles of governing bodies in talent identification and selection for competition.
Trainer Profiles:
Mark Chay, Adjunct Lecturer
Mark Chay, is currently a Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) and is the Director of Secretariat at the Global Esports Federation.
He represented Singapore at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games in Swimming. He also represented Singapore at the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and is a multiple gold medalist and record holder at Southeast Asian Games. For his swimming achievements, he was awarded the Sportsman of the Year Award in 2002. Mark is currently the national coach for the Paralympic Team and is coach to World Champion and record holder Yip Pinxiu.
He was awarded both academic and athletic scholarships at Brigham Young University (BA). He is also an alumnus of the University of Liverpool (MSc), United States Sports Academy, and Anglo-Chinese School. He is a member of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators (MSIArb) and European Sponsorship Association (DIPESA).
Mark is the Chairman of the Singapore National Olympic Committees Athlete Commission; member of the Olympic Council of Asias Athlete Committee; Honorary Secretary of Olympians Singapore; Member of the spexBusiness Network Committee; Sport Advisory Committee of the Singapore Sports School; and Chairman of the International Management and Sports Colleges Academic Board. He currently holds a directorship with the Baking Industry Training College.
Prof Janus Pitkanen
Programme Coordinator in Esports Business at Kajaani University of Applied Sciences
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/januspitkanen
His expertise in esports runs deep, and he has a sound grasp of the competitive video gaming ecosystem, allowing him to establish himself as a knowledgeable individual and asset to the institution.
Prof Richard R. Withers
Esports Development Manager at Kajaani University of Applied Sciences
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/richardrwithers
Manages numerous international-scale projects related to the growth of the Finnish esports industry and the development of the first of its kind Esports Business Bachelor's degree offered by Kajaani University of Applied Sciences. Established key partnerships between industry leaders to develop a wide range of activities including large-scale events, digital platforms, educational alliances, high-quality digital content and brand activations.