Top South Korean university accepts gamers as student athletes

Chung-Ang University ranks among the top 10 schools in South Korea, and you know what can get you in other than good grades and connections? Being really, really good at video games. Beginning next year, professional gamers can apply for a spot at the university’s Department of Sport Science. Since that department’s also in charge of students with more traditional sports backgrounds, it’s safe to say Chung-Ang recognizes the more sedentary players as athletes, as well.

Man, remember how your folks would harass you about getting ahead in life rather than molting in front of a video game for 42 hours on end? Throw this in your mama’s face: Chung-Ang University in South Korea now considers competitive gamers the same as traditional athletes. And it’s a top 10 (South Korean) school! The university will begin accepting eSports applicants starting next year, with students matriculating into the school’s Department of Sport Science—previously home to the ball sports you’d generally associate with college athletes. The move seems a little non-traditional, but let’s not forget that South Korea has a robust gaming community that’s a bit more mainstream than it is in places like the U.S. Live public gaming tournaments are a spectacle in South Korea, often televised with the kind of fanfare we associate with professional wrestling.