One of the biggest cult classic films in the gaming culture and community has become Video Game High School. The concept is a dream nearly every kid growing up with video games has held: going to school to become a professional gamer, playing their favorite games, and grades being based on their skill in-game. Until recently, that dream seemed destined to stay in Hollywood endeavors and the dreams of pre-teen gamers. But France’s eSports industry head, Vitality Gaming, decided to make it a reality.

Beginning in October 2019, the Lyon region of France will have its first full semester at Gaming Campus, a university dedicated to training young, upcoming talent and would-be professionals at thriving in the ever-expanding gaming industry. Gaming Campus seeks to better define and promote the academic worth and professional importance of the industry by being the first ever school to develop and offer programs dedicated to tailoring new professional players and helping better prepare students to become managers or coaches as well. The idea is to holistically better the landscape of gaming’s competitive and content creation fiscal opportunities

Gaming Campus offers two major focuses thus far in their courses: the Gaming Business School, which seeks to, “put the employability of its students at the heart of its pedagogical approach,” according to their website. Apparently, corporations in the industry worked hand in hand with the staff to create a concrete way for those most talented and passionate, those who are striving to be in the industry, to succeed and find a place in the “real world” of gaming after graduation. Managing streams, competitive teams, content creation teams, and entire eSport organizations are some of the careers applicants can expect to be prepared for after their studies are complete. This is in addition to the offerings of the Gaming Academy: the opportunity to become a certified pro, and signing with an organization or even becoming an influencer in the industry and building a brand around a student’s talent and streams.

The Gaming industry is here to stay and schools being built around the concept of furthering the industry’s strength and legitimacy as the top entertainment industry in the world is exactly what the pro in all of us needs right about now.