Friday, January 27, 2023
No Result
View All Result
Esports Grizzly
  • Home
  • Industry
  • GamesUpdates!
    • Call of Duty
    • CS:GO
    • Dota 2
    • FIFA
    • Hearthstone
    • League of Legends
    • NBA 2K League
    • Overwatch
    • Rocket League
    • StarCraft II
    • Valorant
  • Esports Betting SitesNew
    • Bitcasino Esports Review | Evil Geniuses’ Home Esports Bookmaker
    • Sportsbet.io Esports Review
    • Cloudbet Esports Review | Is Cloudbet Legit?
    • Dogecoin Esports Betting Sites
    • Luckbox Review (2021) – Is Luckbox Esports Safe?
    • Betway Esports Review
    • GG.Bet Esports Review | League of Legends, Dota 2 and CS:GO
    • Rivalry Esports Review
    • Pinnacle Esports Review
  • Blog
  • Newsletter
  • About us
  • Contact
Friday, January 27, 2023
No Result
View All Result
Esports Grizzly
No Result
View All Result

janus-pitkanen-kamkm-esports-coordinator

Image credit: Janus Pitkänen

KAMK Janus Pitkänen: “Having a Plan B Doesn’t Hurt”

in College Esports
April 6, 2021

Janus Pitkänen is the Program Coordinator of Esports Business at Kajaani University of Applied Sciences. His expertise in esports runs deep, and he has a sound grasp of the competitive video gaming ecosystem, allowing him to establish himself as a knowledgeable individual and asset to the institution he represents. 

Janus is similarly well-versed in high school esports, a topic he has agreed to discuss with us, sharing his own observations and experience in the matter. 

Q: Janus, college, and even high-school esports is well-developed in the United States, and it seems to be more than just a fad. Can you walk us through your observations about high school esports and their role in education? 

Janus: To clarify in the beginning, as I am established in Finland, my observation is that our school system with the United States tends to differ quite a lot. As a university of applied sciences teacher, I do not have a very good grasp of collegiate-level esports. As a note, tertiary-level educational institutes, such as universities and universities of applied sciences, do not translate into high school level in Finland, but rather as universities. 

“In Finland, I feel like giving room for the players to grow is already a good start, but for the teaching and coaching staff, I feel like there is a bit of a lack of expertise.”

Janus Pitkänen, Program Coordinator of Esports Business at Kajaani University of Applied Sciences

What I have perceived is, however, a rise of Finnish secondary level schools' interest in esports and application to course syllabuses. Upper secondary level schools and vocational schools are something that is close to what educational institutes are called colleges in the USA.

I feel like secondary level education relates more to gaming itself and tends to support gaming as a hobby, potentially to become a professional esports athlete. This is even more true in the States as in Finland. In Finland, I feel like giving room for the players to grow is already a good start, but for the teaching and coaching staff, I feel like there is a bit of a lack of expertise. 

What this means is that usually, an otherwise good coach may not have good in-game related expertise, whereas a good in-game coach may not know how to be a “life coach.” 

Q: Do you think that esports gaming can be a path to a sustainable and meaningful career based on your experience as a program coordinator at KAMK?

Janus: The way I currently see it, yes, it can be a path to a sustainable and meaningful career, but the path is very narrow and a very stressful one. At KAMK, we are not training players but rather business specialists to become professionals in the esports field and work on other professions rather than the gaming one, e.g., marketing, coaching, and management. 

“The way I currently see it, yes, it can be a path to a sustainable and meaningful career, but the path is very narrow and a very stressful one.”

Janus Pitkänen, Program Coordinator of Esports Business at Kajaani University of Applied Sciences

A gaming career in itself is something to seek after; however, you should always have a plan B if, for whatever reason, you will not make it into top-level and thus a gamer earning income. As a professional gamer or an aspiring one, it is very important to take care of your health and make sure gaming does not become too addictive. 

Q: What do you think are the biggest challenges to translate one's love for esports to real-world professions? Do you think “gamers” have no time for academia, or is this myth?

Janus: For a gamer to become an income gamer – I feel like sometimes the challenge for the players in the mindset that the more you play, the better you will become. While this holds true to some extent, too much is always too much. If you do something too much, it can become counter-productive. 

One of the biggest challenges is also that there are so many aspiring gamers and people who want to work in esports, not only as gamers. You really need to somehow show what you have got and impress someone who works in the industry. Also, for people wanting to work in the industry (especially in esports teams), the fact is that esports companies are lacking sustainable business models – it is hard to build on something that is not long-term.  

Q: Looking at high school esports, can you give examples of how having competitive video games in learning has helped the process? 

Janus: I am not sure if video games for us have helped in learning, but the passion for esports brings people together. For example, our esports students are some of the most highly motivated students. Some of them play a lot, whereas some of them do not play as much. Indirectly, I would say that in our community, the passion for esports creates motivation for studies, and the motivation helps in learning.

Q: Are there specific esports titles that do not have a place in high school learning and subsequent competitions as they are too steep to learn and therefore not really a viable option? 

Janus: I do not think it is the title that defines a game being a viable option or not. I think it is the popularity of the game (regionally) that dictates more and perhaps also the ecosystem of a specific title. Also, no game is too steep to learn if you have a competent teacher or a coach. 

Tags: FinlandJanus PitkänenKAMK
Stoyan TodorovbyStoyan Todorov
Tags: FinlandJanus PitkänenKAMK
Home » KAMK Janus Pitkänen: “Having a Plan B Doesn’t Hurt”
ShareShareTweetShareSend
league-of-legends-clash-between-champions
Blog

Betting on League of Legends: Top 5 Sites to Wager Using Bitcoin

by Papa Bear
September 15, 2022

Few games have captured the hearts of the wider audiences quite like Riot Games’ masterpiece League of Legends has. The...

Read more
overwatch-female-characters
Opinion

Women in Esports: How Esports Are Moving Towards a More Inclusive Future

by Stefan Velikov
October 25, 2021

Gaming has long been regarded as something reserved for nerdy boys. As times change women join in on the fun...

Read more
v-bucks-currency-in-fortnite
Blog

Bitcoin Esports: Best Crypto Esports Betting Sites

by Alexander Todorov
January 23, 2022

Bitcoin esports betting is on the rise. The idea of placing wagers on your favorite esports teams is an experience...

Read more

Latest and Popular

rocket-league-college-spring-season-2021
College Esports

A Young Athlete from Alabama Earned a Scholarship Thanks to His Esports Successes

by Stefan Velikov
April 15, 2022
call-of-duty-modern-warfare-guerilla-attacking-soldier-with-pickaxe
College Esports

Collegiate CoD Player Accidently Exposes Himself Cheating on Monitor Cam

by Stefan Velikov
March 30, 2022
cecc-collegiate-esports
College Esports

ESPORTSU Reveals Plans for Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup in Atlanta

by Stefan Velikov
March 9, 2022
official-university-of-arizona-esports-logo
College Esports

The University of Arizona Unveils New Esports Program

by Stefan Velikov
March 4, 2022

Next Post
a-cs-go-player-shooting-another-player

Valve Revokes VAC Ban, Kyojin Returns to CS:GO

eSports Grizzly Mobile Dark
eSports Grizzly Mobile Dark

Content Categories

  • Blog
  • Call of Duty
  • College Esports
  • Consoles
  • Cosplay
  • Counter Strike
  • DOTA 2
  • FGC
  • Fortnite
  • Gaming
  • Halo
  • Hearthstone
  • Industry
  • League of Legends
  • Mobile Legends
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Overwatch
  • Popular
  • PUBG
  • Q&A
  • Rainbow Six Siege
  • Rocket League
  • Streamers
  • Uncategorized
  • Valorant

Recent Posts

  • Team Vitality’s Kaiser Shares His Thoughts on the LEC 2023
  • How Will Kiriko’s Latest Nerf Change the Way She’s Played?
  • Players Don’t Seem to Like League’s Patch 13.1B Yuumi Nerfs

About Esports Grizzly

We bring you the best Premium esports content from around the globe.

Our FREE weekly newsletter

Keep in the loop with our minimalist weekly newsletter. Subscribe today!

GET IN TOUCH

Esports Grizzly reports on the latest industry and gaming intelligence, Want to pitch in? Get in touch!

  • Home
  • About us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact

© 2021 Esports Grizzly - Your daily BITE of global esports

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Industry
  • Games
    • Call of Duty
    • CS:GO
    • Dota 2
    • FIFA
    • Hearthstone
    • League of Legends
    • NBA 2K League
    • Overwatch
    • Rocket League
    • StarCraft II
    • Valorant
  • Esports Betting Sites
    • Bitcasino Esports Review | Evil Geniuses’ Home Esports Bookmaker
    • Sportsbet.io Esports Review
    • Cloudbet Esports Review | Is Cloudbet Legit?
    • Dogecoin Esports Betting Sites
    • Luckbox Review (2021) – Is Luckbox Esports Safe?
    • Betway Esports Review
    • GG.Bet Esports Review | League of Legends, Dota 2 and CS:GO
    • Rivalry Esports Review
    • Pinnacle Esports Review
  • Blog
  • Newsletter
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2021 Esports Grizzly - Your daily BITE of global esports

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.