South Korean university accepts gamers as athletes

20 Mar 2014

A South Korean university now sees top-level gamers in the same mould as advanced athletes when they apply to the university.

According to Kotaku, thousands of South Korean gamers can now use their gaming skills as a reason for Chung-Ang University to accept them based on their eSports merits.

South Korea is one of the most gaming-obsessed nations in the world, with televised gaming competitions, otherwise known as eSports, being broadcast to millions. Prize money is equal to that awarded to professional golfers or tennis players.

Now, South Korean professional gamers can apply for a spot at the university’s Department of Sport Science to join their soccer and baseball colleagues.

However, for those gamers whose lives revolve solely around gaming with no knowledge of the rest of the world, think again about being a shoe-in.

The university has stated that while being an exceptional gamer will help the hopeful student with a better application, they still need to have the right qualifications and academic credentials as everyone else.

Colm Gorey was a senior journalist with Silicon Republic

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