Razer, makers of game peripherals such as a mouse specifically intended for MOBAs and a controller specifically designed for Portal 2, are now trying to venture further into the world of e-Sports. They aren’t doing it with gadgets, though. No, instead they are starting “The Razer Academy,” a platform by which e-Sports professionals can share their knowledge with aspiring pros. Considering that e-Sport is a rapidly growing phenomenon, the existence of such a thing isn’t entirely surprising, but it does seem a little random that Razer, and not some sort of gaming community site, is behind it.
According to The Razer Academy webpage:
The Razer Academy is a new competitive gaming and community platform designed to engage you, the aspiring pro-gamer, with dynamic educational gaming content, with the sole aim of making you an e-Sports baller too.
Driven by some of the most well-known and experienced names in e-Sports, the members of the Razer Academy serve to show you their world and develop your learning, participation and passion for e-Sports. In addition to these e-Sports masters, the Academy will be drawing on a mighty talent pool of elite gamers who already represent Razer in teams and tournaments across the globe.
So basically, it’s a content platform and, unfortunately, not a summer camp or anything. The being said, it looks like it may serve as a useful collection of e-Sports related advice, if you’re into that. No doubt you can find all sorts of e-Sports content on YouTube and whatnot, but the service Razer seems like it will actually be providing is sifting through all that content for the stuff that’s actually good. Anyone can “apply” to be a part of the Razer Academy — that is, to provide content — but the application process makes it look like you have to have some clout in order to be featured.
The project only just launched, so who knows whether or not “The Razer Academy” can build any sort of e-Sports following around the peripheral manufacturer who has, until now, focused on equipping professional gamers instead of making them. Either way, the “Academy” should bring some more attention to e-Sports, even if it’s just bringing it to the attention of people who probably already know it exists.
(via VG247)
