Category Archives: Esports

Esports, Press Release

Staffordshire University lands Sponsorship Deal to offer Esports Degrees

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TeamSpeak signs partnership deal to sponsor Esports degrees at Staffordshire University 

A new partnership will give Staffordshire University students exclusive access to TeamSpeak software used by the world’s top esports teams.

TeamSpeak offers the number one team communications solution for large scale esports events and is currently used in live production by some of the world’s most prestigious esports events, such as The Overwatch League, The Call of Duty League, ESL, Blast Pro Series, and FaceIT.

The company has also been working closely with Activision Blizzard during the lockdown to enable both players and broadcast crews to work from remote locations around the globe and create seamless productions in place of LAN based events.

The sponsorship will see Staffordshire University integrate this industry-standard software into the curriculum allowing students on BA (Hons) Esports and MA Esports degrees to work on professional setups for broadcasting and esports tournaments.

Professor Ieuan Ellis, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Staffordshire University, said:

“Staffordshire University is a digitally leading provider of higher education strongly connected to the technology and games industries. We are delighted to be partnering with TeamSpeak to provide our esports students with access to sector-leading software to support their learning experience.”

Sponsorship of the Esports degrees at Staffordshire University is TeamSpeak’s latest venture into the education sector. The company recently embarked on a large-scale project to provide competitive voice comms for all High School Esports in the USA, with the ultimate goal of supplying colleges and college leagues around the world.

Marc Henson from TeamSpeak commented: 

“Staffordshire University is an established provider of games industry degrees and introduced the UK’s first Esports degree its Stoke-on-Trent campus in 2018. The University has since founded Digital Institute London which also offers courses in esports and other leading digital degrees.”

Staffordshire University Associate Professor Bobbie Fletcher, who heads up the Department for Games and Visual Effects, added:

“This partnership is a great alliance between academia and industry and we are truly honoured to be working with TeamSpeak. Bringing these two worlds together will give the students an authentic learning experience that they can take with them into employment and beyond.”

Esports, Press Release

Set Yourself Up as an Esports Legend at a Fraction of the Price

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The video game market is worth £5.4 billion in the UK. It’s no surprise then that e-sports is a growing pastime with 7% of the British population (four million people) having tuned into the digital competitions.
The impartial price comparison website, PriceSpy.co.uk, has researched how much the average e-sports professional spends on regular equipment updates and how non-professional players can get the same performance for a fraction of the price.
Top e-sports professionals reveal how much they spend to be at the top of their game  
A new study from PriceSpy.co.uk, looks at 60 of the world’s best e-sport professionals and reveals the true cost to compete.
  • The average e-sport professional regularly spends £781 on the latest gaming accessories
  • The £781 comes from an average spend of a mouse (£80), mousepad (£21), monitor (£476), keyboard (£117), and a headset (£87)
  • As wireless products become more advanced, professional gamers are beginning to integrate them into their setup – 50% of surveyed Valorant players have a wireless mouse
  • Every gaming professional said they use a mechanical keyboard and 97% currently have a 240 Hz monitor

For professional e-sports players, the right set-up can mean the difference between a victory and a defeat. Not only does this mean having a top-of-the-range computer with the right graphics card and CPU. Other important factors include a monitor’s refresh rate, the sensitivity of a mouse, plus the speed and customisability of a mechanical keyboard.

Independent comparison service, PriceSpy.co.uk, spoke to 60 of the world’s top e-sport professionals in Counter:Strike Global Offensive and Valorant, to find out which accessories they’re using at the moment.

The study reveals that e-sport professionals spend an average of £781 on just a mouse, mousepad, monitor, keyboard and headset.

Ninjas in Pyjamas team member, Fredrik “REZ” Sterner, doesn’t believe this high cost is always necessary. REZ said: “Having top of the range gear is important for a professional. But to spend that kind of money isn’t necessary if you’re at the beginning of your career or if you’re just playing for fun. If you are looking to buy new equipment, always try out the product before purchasing it. An expensive buy doesn’t necessarily mean the best result.”

Among the study’s Counter-Strike professionals, only one is using a wireless product: a headset that costs £259. Valorant players are much more likely to embrace wireless tech with 50% of surveyed players using a wireless mouse.

Ossie Bayram, commercial director at PriceSpy said: “The fact that players are even considering buying a wireless mouse means that the technology has become much more reliable. In professional gaming, milliseconds can mean the difference between victory and defeat, especially when it comes to mouse and keyboard sensitivity.

“However, even though wireless products are becoming more reliable, at the top end they are much more expensive than wired versions. If you want a professional level performance for a lower price, then stick with wired products.”

Mouse sensitivity is a key factor for gamers and is measured in dots per linear inch (DPI). Surprisingly, the study shows that the professional players don’t need the highest DPI possible. The most popular max DPI among professionals is 3,200.

Effective dots per inch (eDPI) gives a better idea of true mouse sensitivity. eDPI is calculated by multiplying the mouse DPI with the in-game sensitivity. In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, professionals are playing with an average eDPI of 859.06 while Valorant professionals have an average eDPI of 235.46.

Top picks among Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Valorant pros

Item

Top pick

Cheapest price on PriceSpy.co.uk

Mouse

£87.72

Mousepad

£13.11

Monitor

£448.99

Keyboard

£100.00

Headset

£64.99

About the study

PriceSpy has gathered information about what equipment 60 of the world’s best e-sport professionals are using, including 50 Counter-Strike:Global Offensive pros and 10 Valorant pros. The surveyed teams include Astralis, Team Liquid, Fnatic, Dignitas, FaZe Clan, GODSENT, Cloud9, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team SoloMid and Immortals.

Information about the equipment was collected from Liquipedia the 5th of August 2020, while prices were collected from PriceSpy the 13th of August 2020.