In China's eSport schools students learn it pays to play

A school in China has started a new course to teach its students how to play video games as a future profession. The school hopes the £1,470-per-year'eSports and Management' course could help ambitious teenagers cash in on China's £116 million digital gaming industry. During the first year of the course, the students in their teens and early 20s spend 50 per cent of their time gaming and the rest on study'theory lessons' to ensure they would succeed in the industry. Teenagers majoring in'eSports and Management' listen to teacher Yang Xiao explain game techniques at the school The Lanxiang Technical School, situated in the city of Jinan in eastern China, launched its eSports course last September and has attracted 50 students in its inaugural year. 'At first, many parents thought it was just about playing video games,' school director Rong Lanxiang, told AFP. 'In fact, it's not the case, eSport is developing to a very high degree and it's become an economic growth driver.'