Jennifer L. Metz-Reiss, Ph.D., is the Program Lead and Associate professor of Esports Management, Production and Performance at Harrisburg University.
Contrary to what one might assume, the program that Dr. Metz Reiss oversees is not a training ground for players. Rather, it is a path “to turning a passion into an exciting career in the promising world of Esports,” according to the literature. “It places students on the cusp of an industry eager to build its workforce.”
With a degree in hand, graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Esports are able to:
- Evaluate the esports ecosystem and its operation as a performance and commercial entertainment activity;
- Analyze how esports organizations are managed and governed;
- Select appropriate business principles to enhance esports production, performance and engagement;
- Design real world and theoretical methods to address current industry issues; and
- Research, plan, organize and produce various types of live events, activities and services.
To learn more about this unique program, we sought out Dr. Metz Reiss for this exclusive interview.
Question: How did you get into the esports industry?
Answer: My Ph.D. is from the University of Illinois- Urbana-Champaign in Sport Studies. I was a collegiate athlete, so sports were always a passion, but I’ve always been a gamer. This job was my chance to combine those two passions. In 2020, I was the chair of a sports management program in Illinois, but as I surveyed what my students were doing, I knew that they needed a more technological edge to be competitive in the market. In researching how to expand their skill set, I found Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. It was a school known for their outstanding esports teams and technology background. They were investing heavily in esports. HU’s president, Eric Darr Ph.D. and interactive media department chair and Director for the Center of Advanced Entertainment and Learning Technologies, Charles Palmer, developed the fourth esports management program in the country and in 2021, they were looking for someone to helm the fledging program. Taking the job at Harrisburg was an exciting and risky move after well over a decade in sport management, but I believed that this job would allow me to help shape not only students, but an area of academic inquiry and industry.
Q: How do you view the overall state of the industry?
A: The overall state of the esports industry is both healthy and exciting. Over the last 10 years, there were significant amounts of money and development invested in the industry and it saw significant growth during that timeframe. The industry is still relatively young and that means that people involved in it now will get to shape how the industry, its leagues, events, and teams establish themselves for future generations. If you had the opportunity to be involved with the NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL when they were emerging, why wouldn’t you take the opportunity? That’s where esports is now.
Q: What are its challenges?
A: The esports industry is currently undergoing a recalibration like other technology industries. It is my belief that once the industry emerges from this phase, it will be stronger than ever. If you look at the history of any major sport in the United States, we see significant growth, multiple leagues, failure of leagues, and the emergence of key brands. I believe that esports is mirroring that same history.
Q: What will it take for it to grow faster?
A: Continuing professionalism and development of esports leagues, fans, companies, and workforce is key to our growth. I don’t know that if we look in the short past, the last 5-10 years that we can go faster than that, but now the challenge is consistent steady growth.
Q: What are some of the legal issues that you are seeing in the industry?
A: I think legal representation for esports athletes is a major issue facing esports today. Signing contracts with organizations with no or limited legal representation is not uncommon for very young athletes. In some areas of esports, legal representation is still seen as a danger or an impediment to getting a contract. In all other professional sports, legal representation is an accepted practice. Some organizations require their athletes to give the organization percentages of their sponsorship dollars. Legal representation would help ensure that athletes fully understand the contracts and that the contracts are fair and competitive. When I think of esports current legal challenges, I feel there is a ready comparison to the early years of the NFL, MLB, and NBA.
Q: Tell us about your program in Harrisburg?
A: We like to say, “esports first” at HU. We are an esports only program. We don’t have sport management and we don’t have a football team. We have an esports program and esports team. Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is the fourth oldest esports program in our country. We have the traditional semester esports program with over 80 students and a 7-week asynchronous virtual program with another 80 students. Our program has Ph.D., J.D., and industry professionals working within our program.
All our students are required to do at least one internship and they do two independent studies – one research focused and one applied. Our students are involved in all our major tournaments at Harrisburg University, including Harrisburg University Esports (HUE) Fest/Invitational, a collegiate event, and the PA Cup, a high school event. This year our students, along with the HU esports faculty and the HU Storm Varsity coaches and staff worked together to run the HUE Invitational. The students were involved with everything from production and broadcasting to tournament operations and provided outstanding support throughout the event. This is a significant learning opportunity for the students and helps to give them real world experience within the program. The PA Cup is a student planned and executed event for PA and surrounding states’ high schools. It is a 125 plus player event that the students plan in the fall and execute in the spring. We have an esports club with over 100 members, and we have worked very hard to make links between our virtual students and on-ground students.
Q: What are the plans for growing the program?
A: This year, our program will be unveiling concentrations of: Esports Broadcasting, Production, Management, and Coaching. We have added an Entertainment Technology Certificate that can be taken as a standalone certificate or as a concentration that offers industry standards in digital audio and video production certificates. Also, for the first time we will be tapping into our HU Storm staff’s talents to extend our offerings. We are collaborating with HU’s exercise science and physical therapy programs to provide clinical education to practitioners and coaches about athletes’ health and wellness. I am also very excited about several new academic development and research initiatives that are on the way, but are not quite ready for public announcement yet.
