The terms esports and gaming are often used interchangeably, but whilst they have elements in common there are fundamental differences. Esports is the art of playing video games competitively, usually in front of an in-person or online live audience, sometimes competing for a large sum of money. Most esport titles are team games so winning will not only depend on how you yourself play but also your teammates and communication. Gaming can be played as competitively as you want it to be but there is usually nothing at stake like global team rankings or cash prizes.

There are a huge number of esports games but amongst the most popular are:

. League of Legends

. Fortnite

. Dota 2 

. Rocket League

. CS:GO (Counter Strike Global Offensive)

. Valorant

. Overwatch

. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Although it is difficult to know exactly how many esports players there are in the UK, just over 4500 players have won prize money in competitive tournaments.  There will be many more players who have not yet won any prize money.

The UK ranks 11th in the world for esports players ranked by earnings.

Revenue in the UK esports market is projected to reach US$50.13m in 2023

There is a popular misconception that esports BTECs are all about playing video games, but in fact the course covers a wide range of modules which equip students for a wide range of careers both within esports and in wider digital and marketing roles.

There are a huge range of careers within esports quite apart from being a player – there are roles for managers, coaches, analysts, psychologists, physiotherapists, chief executives, marketeers, broadcasters and shout-casters, production crew, journalists, game developers and operations managers.  In fact, if you think about the roles involved in running a traditional football club, virtually every role is mirrored within the esports eco-system.

But many students who study esports BTECs find themselves working in other industries outside of esports, but for which they have learned the appropriate skills through their studies.  In particular, an esports BTEC will give students a good grounding in business, marketing, events and production, digital media and graphics.  These are all highly transferable and prized skills in today’s employment market.

Our esports teams compete under the name 'Tranmere Vikings'.  Our FIFA team previously competed as Tranmere Rovers Esports.

You can tryout for the Tranmere Vikings by sending an email to esports@tranmererovers.co.uk or joining our team discord https://discord.gg/MHDNQwZXKQ 

All you have to do is turn up when we host a gaming day for your desired game and play your best. If one of the members of staff notices that you are performing very well then you may be asked to play alongside our team players

Tranmere Rovers has a dedicated esports arena within the Recreation Centre at Prenton Park, which is used with playing stations and equipment for hire on an hour by hour basis, or on an exclusive use basis for parties.  We run various events including try-outs for our esports teams and specific coaching days and tournaments from this venue.  Please contact esports@tranmererovers.co.uk for more details.

Tranmere Rovers have a fully equipped gaming room with 6 state of the art gaming computers and top quality gaming chairs. This room can be hired out for parties or other occasions with prices starting from £90 for 2 hours of exclusive use.  Please contact esports@tranmererovers.co.uk for more details.

An esports shoutcaster’s role is to entertain an audience whilst providing useful insight into the game that is being played. Shout-casters are split into 2 groups: Colour casters and Play-by-play casters. A Play-By-Play casters role is to cast the gameplay as it happens and say what they see, whereas the colour casters role is providing a professional opinion into the teams, game and the overall series.  In effect, play-by-play casters are the esports equivalent of a football commentator, whereas colour casters are the equivalent of a pundit.

A big part of the esports players' performances relies on their mentality approaching a big tournament or a big game. Just like in sport, players have peak performances when they are playing better than usual; this is usually when they are in a desired mental state.  In particular, they need to learn how to keep calm and cool under pressure, as they need to be able to continue to perform clinically and efficiently even when things are getting very pressured. To ensure they keep their peak mental state a psychologist will provide therapy sessions as a full team and individuals, provide them with fitness regimes and give the players a sleeping schedule.

As most esports teams have players from a widespread geographical area, it is important for teams to have regular team building events, where they can meet, practice together and get to know each other. 

The Tranmere Rovers Esports Arena is available for hire for esports boot camps, on an exclusive use basis.  Located in the North West of England, the esports arena has excellent transport connectivity to Manchester and Liverpool airports, the M53 motorway and is only 3 miles from Liverpool’s famous Albert Dock area. 

The arena is equipped with 6 state of the art Gaming PCS and 12 gaming desks and ergonomic gaming chairs, but will shortly be expanding further. 

The specification of our equipment is as follows:

- I7 12th gen CPU, RTX 3060 TI, 16GB 3600mhz Ram, 2tb Storage, Windows 11 OS

- 144hz TUF Gaming monitor

- Brazen gaming chair

Bootcamps also benefit from out onsite café, well equipped gym, sports hall, and free onsite parking.  Group accommodation can be arranged if required.