Guests: Kenneth Thompson, University of Connecticut | Joshua Steffenson, Manchester Public School | Jason Chung, University of New Haven

Host: David DesRoches, Quinnipiac University 

"Select+CT" is a Digital Media Connecticut (DMCT) podcast series connecting you to Connecticut's Digital Media industry!

Did you know that you can make playing video games into a career? E-sports has had an “incredible growth” according to research done by Influencer Marketing Hub. Jason Chung, who runs the E-sports business program at University of New Haven, explained how you can make a living off of playing video games! Select + CT’s Host -David DesRoches- also interviewed Kenneth Thompson, a professor at UCONN, and Joshua Steffenson, an Assistant Principal at Manchester Public School. 

Though Connecticut has made a big contribution to the phenomenon of E-sports, the first (known) video game tournament occurred back in 1972 at Stanford University in California. Since that event, E-sports have incentivized local people in various countries to set up Internet cafes. Teens & young adults tend to play video games whilst downing too much caffeine; so this was perfect. Publishers quickly realized it’s a way to increase fandoms in their games. E-sports became a marketing tool for companies in the 80’s…

“Have the openness to look at something and say, just because it’s a new industry doesn’t mean that it doesn’t deserve study.” - Jason Chung, University of New Haven