Magic Gaming, Florida Blue Team Up to Create Esports Academy for Students

Florida Blue and Magic Gaming are teaming up to create the “Magic Gaming Esports Academy.” The program looks to build relationships with local schools, creating awareness of the variety career paths in esports, while promoting health and wellness. The two will also team up with Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) to promote the academy and bring added value to OCPS’ existing esports program. The academy is open to all high school and college students.

“Magic Gaming is thrilled to team up with our great partner, Florida Blue for this unique opportunity for local students,” said Magic Gaming Business Operations Manager Gabriel Causse. “Adding in OCPS creates the trifecta in what we can offer students interested in esports and educating them on the careers that exist in this realm. We look forward to building the program and gearing it towards the interests of the students involved.”

As part of the program, Magic Gaming and Florida Blue will host monthly virtual seminars that will allow members of the academy to learn from and interact with successful esports professionals while discovering the vast array of career options in the rapidly expanding field of esports. Esports is expected to have 29.6 million monthly viewers this year, according to Insider Intelligence, with game development and software engineering becoming two of the most in-demand employment sectors in the field. Magic Gaming and Florida Blue hope to harness this great opportunity for students looking to make a career in esports.

“Florida Blue has extended our long-standing Orlando Magic partnership to its Magic Gaming Esports Academy as a way to help drive sustainable change in the lives of students across Central Florida,” said Florida Blue Market President, Tony Jenkins. “We hope the Academy will help translate the passion many young persons have for esports and gaming into career paths in marketing, content creation, production, game development, and other areas supporting esports they may have never considered or believed were obtainable. Sparking a desire to learn and pursue a career in a growing and thriving industry can have a lifelong impact on a student.”

Through the partnership with Esports Orange County Public Schools program the Esports Academy will offer a robust learning opportunity for local youth. The Esports Academy will offer training sessions to the OCPS schools in the county’s esports program as well as in-person visits to those high schools starting in the fall.

“Partnering with Magic Gaming through the Esports Academy will give our students unique access to a level of professionalism and career opportunities unlike any other and aligns with our vision of ensuring every student has a promising and successful future,” said OCPS Program Specialist, Federal Programs Neil Otto.