Esports at Georgian

At Georgian, there are many ways you can participate in and learn about esports. You can play through social clubs, compete casually or competitively, or learn and work towards a career in esports by volunteering or taking courses.

Interested in learning more about 21st century sports? Watch out for future announcements as Georgian grows in this space!

On this page:

About esports
Get involved
Resources
Contact us

GeorgianGrizzlies.ca esports

CyberGrizzlies esports club

Georgian College Students’ Association (GCSA) clubs

About esports

What are esports?

Esports is the digitization of sports

Video games are a part of everyday life. They are used for education, for relaxation, and for competition – which is where esports come into play.

The competition can take place using a console, a personal computer (PC), a mobile device, a racing simulator, in virtual reality (VR), or even using exercise equipment.

Facts about the growing field of esports

Industry

Every third person on earth is a gamer; in 2021, there were 2.81 billion gamers and 7.7 billion people on the planet (Source: Statista)
The video game industry has been bigger than the music and movie industries combined since 2008; esports is the competitive part of that industry (Source: Newzoo)
89 per cent of Canadians under the age of 17, and over 60 per cent of all Canadians, play video games (Source: Entertainment Software Association of Canada)
Streaming platforms such as Twitch and YouTube Gaming each have more subscribers than HBO, Netflix and Spotify
Worldwide audience growth for esports is expected at 7.7 per cent with 577.2 million viewers by 2024; esports revenues are expected to grow 11.1 per cent in the same period (Source: Newzoo)
57 per cent of adult games and 65 per cent of teen games cite improved mental health from playing video games during the pandemic; 70 per cent of teens said video games helped them stay connected with friends (Source: Entertainment Software Association of Canada)

Desk setup featuring computer monitors, a computer tower, mouse, keyboard, camera and microphone, used by a gamer and streamer

Collegiate esports

Over 100 schools offer academic programs in esports (e.g. business, sports management, broadcasting, fitness, etc.) and there are even more programs to support the creation of video games!
Varsity esports is growing and hundreds of schools in North America have esports teams that compete in a wide variety of tournaments.

Careers

You might be surprised to learn how many different careers need people who are knowledgeable in esports!
Learn more about esports-related professions.

Some of my favourite things about being involved with CyberGrizzlies include gaining more skills and meeting new people. I was a very socially awkward student and recently, I have gained the confidence to present in front of others because of running my Valorant team and being club staff. I also have met some of my closest friends in the club and got to meet amazing players from other colleges and universities.—Devyn Grimes, Opticianry student

Get involved

Student clubs

CyberGrizzlies esports club

CyberGrizzlies is the largest of Georgian College Students’ Association (GCSA) student-run clubs.
It started in 2018 and now hosts around 900 members and alumni in its Discord server, where they meet online regularly.
This social club offers:
- casual play (play games with friends and meet new people)
- competitive teams (tryouts are ongoing)
- weekly game nights (open to all; usually free games)
- movie nights
- viewing parties
- tournaments
- volunteer opportunities
The club has a games room (A224, Barrie Campus) featuring:
- two TVs, one Xbox and one Nintendo Switch
- desks and outlets for laptops and phones
- a fun space to hang out with fellow gamers

How to join

Visit the CyberGrizzlies website.
Join the CyberGrizzlies Discord group.
Follow the club on Twitter and Instagram for upcoming events and games room hours.
Email the club to inquire about volunteer opportunities (e.g. supervise the games room).

Campus recreation

Georgian Grizzlies

Georgian Athletics has made the leap into competitive esports by joining the Ontario Post-Secondary Esports (OPSE) League of Legends league for the 2021-22 season, in partnership with the CyberGrizzlies, Georgian’s esports club.
OPSE is a volunteer- and student-operated organization focused on integrating collegiate esports into the traditional postsecondary institution athletics system.

How to join

For more information about this team or to get involved, please visit the GeorgianGrizzlies.ca website.

Carol Meissner looks over a student's shoulder while using a DELL computer in the library at Georgian's Barrie Campus

Academics

The Business of Esports (BUSI 2025)

Course description:
- The wide variety of businesses supporting video games being played as a professional sport need employees who understand the global esports industry. In this course, students use their understanding of general business concepts to dive deeply into the esports industry to either learn more about a future career or study business concepts in greater depth in terms of an industry sector that is of interest to them.

Find out more

To learn more about the BUSI 2025 course, please contact us.

More coming soon!

Georgian will be offering a Game – Design and Simulation program in the future, with plans to also offer courses in digital content creation and strategy, digital video, and more.

Ontario establishes esports scholarship

The Ontario government is investing $1 million over two years in a scholarship for postsecondary students in esports and related programs. Read the news release.