A new initiative has been making lots of noise on social media since yesterday. The new Esport Certification Institute (ECI) has certainly set themselves ambitious goals right off the bat.
$400 for a more inclusive and meritocratic esports industry?
So what is not to like about fostering professionalism, promoting meritocracy, and increasing diversity and inclusion in esports? There is no denying that the esports industry has many malpractices in hiring that sometimes result in connections mattering more than actual qualification. But slapping a new $400 US-Dollar (“only $300 during launch week!”) certificate on top is not the answer.
How is an entrance fee to an industry, where many entry-level jobs are sadly still volunteer and unpaid, making esports more inclusive? Isn’t it just erecting more barriers for potential new recruits? Where is the meritocratic achievement of having $400 to spend? Unfortunately the entire project comes across much more like a quick cashgrab to fleech unknowing hopefuls instead of actually being useful to employers and prospective employees alike.
What are you actually testing for?
Even if the intentions of the ECI are not as unsavory as laid out above, the test itself seems entirely misguided in its conception. After flicking through the study guide and practice exam on their website, their certification roughly boils down to a crash course in business, marketing, maths, data comprehension and a sprinkle of esport history.
This hodgepodge of things consisting of random questions does not prove “esports knowledge”. Questions like these are just so very much removed from the day-to-day work in the sector:
At best the ECI test just showcases that you know how to study for exams. Esport is not something you can just certify as a job akin to the finance sector’s CFA or other qualifications. The industry is much more diverse: You have tournament organisers, writers, producers, data analysts, video editors, casters, general managers and countless other jobs in the scene. Each requires a different skillset inside the esports environment and you cannot use a catch-all formula to test for fitness in this broad industry.
Guide recruits instead of testing them
If the ECI was really more interested in trying to help hopefuls along the road, they would give out resumé and interview training, encourage them to acquire skills, work hard and stand out from others by doing good work. Because in the end that is how you get hired.
As initially stated the industry most certainly does have issues in the hiring process, but this new certificate does nothing in terms of fixing it. Instead it just adds another unnecessarily pricey hurdle to jump over in a scene that is already incredibly hard to break into.
Considering the amount of veteran partners and advisors on-board I want to believe that the ECI is really trying to help, but this ain’t it, chief.
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