At Southern University, gaming is no longer just a pastime for students interested in playing sports online.
Through a program called EDGE — Esports and Digital Gaming Ecosystem — the university is preparing students for careers in game development, production, broadcasting, content creation and emerging technologies. These fields are rapidly expanding alongside the growth of the gaming industry in the country.
At the same time, the program addresses a persistent representation gap. While African Americans make up approximately 12% of video game players in the United States, they account for only 4% to 5% of the gaming and tech workforce, based on industry analyses and diversity reports from organizations like the International Game Developers Association…