Initial Findings from the 3rd Annual Student Esports Survey

Dublin, Ireland – The latest Annual Student Esports Survey conducted ahead of the 2024/25 Ireland Esports Collegiate Series Spring Finals Weekend has provided vital insights into the preferences and demographics of collegiate esports participants across Ireland.

Demographic Insights

With a response rate of 12% from all players this will help us to stay in touch with exactly what you want from the Collegiate Series for the upcoming year. A significant majority of participants (72.8%) are aged between 18 and 21, emphasising the youthful demographic engaged in collegiate esports.

Gender distribution shows a strong male dominance making up 72.8% of respondents. The ethnic background was predominantly White (Irish, Irish traveller, other white backgrounds), which represented 81.4% of participants, mirroring broader national demographics.

Student Status

Local students from the Republic of Ireland form the backbone of the collegiate series, accounting for 75.7% of the survey’s respondents. Response from Northern Ireland participants make us 11.4%, the remainder make up a vibrant community of international students also contributing to the mix.

Esports Roles Beyond Playing

The survey also asked students about their interest in various roles within esports beyond just competing as players, strong information in our mission to develop the biggest esports Academy in Ireland. The results indicate a keen interest in diverse career pathways within the esports ecosystem:

• Esports Analyst and Coach were the most popular roles, pointing to a growing interest in the strategic and developmental aspects of esports.

• Creative roles such as Social Media Manager and Videographer also saw significant interest, highlighting the multidimensional skills that students are eager to develop through esports.

Feedback on Tournament Organisation

Feedback from participants on the tournament organisation was overwhelmingly positive, with specific praise for the easy-to-use website and competition platforms. The initiative to highlight players of the week on social media was particularly well-received, enhancing community engagement and visibility for outstanding players.

However, constructive feedback was also noted, with some participants pointing out areas for improvement such as the clarity needed in score submission processes and concerns over merchandise costs, specifically the jerseys.

Insights for local development

Each year we take the findings from our research and compile the findings on a University-by-University basis. As we near completion of year three since taking over he series this information is now starting to influence local conversations with our partner universities.

Looking Forward

These insights are invaluable as we continue to develop and refine the Ireland Esports Collegiate Series. The enthusiasm for varied roles within esports suggests a bright future, not only for competitors but also for those looking to carve out careers in coaching, analysis, and digital content creation.

Our findings from this survey will also be pivotal in the building out our Ireland Esports leagues pipeline through our other products such as the Schools Series, Company Series: Office Showdown and feeding into the Nativz Esports Club Academy.

As we move forward, integrating feedback from our community will remain a priority to ensure an inclusive, engaging, and professionally rewarding environment for all participants. If you’re interested in finding out more please email [email protected].