Twitter in disbelief as $400 "Esports Certification Exam" surfaces

With esports on the rise, inroads have been made towards an academic approach to this new industry form. To this effect, a bunch of esports industry professionals have put together an "Esports Certification Institute" that claims to offer people a way into the esports sector via a $400 certification.

Their statement said:

"We are excited to announce the launch of Esports Certification Institute, a Public Benefit Corporation created to foster professionalism, promote meritocracy, and increase diversity and inclusion in esports. ECI was created to give another path into esports for industry hopefuls."

While packaged as a beneficial service to aspirants in the sector, Twitter users have dug into the venture to reveal the not-so-pleasant underbelly of the test.

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Twitter users mock $400 "Esports Certification Exam"

These are real questions from the ECI's practice exam.... LOL what pic.twitter.com/8aVrWJk5yn
— Joe Pokrzywa (@JoePokrzywa) April 27, 2021

Posed as a legitimate entry point for aspirants looking to break ground in the sector, the ECI's practice exam paints a grim picture for anyone who takes the venture seriously.

Revealed to be a standard aptitude test, which evaluates an individual's mathematics skill, probabilistic knowledge, and general aptitude, the test falls short of its promise as an "Esports Certification."

The questions seem to be simple reskins of common entrance exam evaluations.

Just registered for @EsportsCi, I will be the sacrificial lamb.

$400 for a certification to become a REAL Esports Professional 😎 pic.twitter.com/kwRaeHHTgf
— Arab (@YourFellowArab) April 28, 2021

Bunch of well known folks in esports started up a new company offering an esports certificate to help people get hired in esports for $400.
— Isaac CB (@RiotAzael) April 28, 2021

The kicker is that it seems to be a regular aptitude test just with esports themed questions. Nothing worth $400
— WillyTheKid (@russell_will_) April 28, 2021

With one question talking about calculating the amount of "dark-haired employees at an esports organization," it is hard to take the quiz seriously as it provides little to no relevance to the actual industry.

pls tell me that I havent lost all of my math skills and that all of the given answers are wrong...?
— Prometheus (@N1ck_IQ) April 27, 2021

but its still wrong cuz 40% of 108 = 43.2 idk the test dumb asl
— UglyGilly (@TheBvngod) April 27, 2021

400 bucks to get asked the ratio of sugar in a soft drink so i can get an esports certificate? nice
— SEN Dylxn (@NottDylxn) April 27, 2021

I entered into esports with no connections in the industry. Built a successful brand and great relationships.

You don’t need to pay $400 for a certificate to credit your position in esports and you don’t need “professionals” to tell you otherwise.

Your work speaks for itself.
— Alex Todd (@alextdesign) April 27, 2021

I've never felt so unqualified in my life. How could I possibly use a production switcher if I don't know how many tablespoons are in a cup?
— Plamen 🚩 🏠 (@PlamenRamen) April 27, 2021

is this the SAT's
— Jarel Bell (@JBProdigy) April 27, 2021

The "Esports Certification Institute" serves as a dangerous precedent for the industry where, traditionally, a person's skill set speaks for his/her capabilities.

With the rise of ineffective $400 tests, a seemingly artificial entry barrier with nothing to do with esports is being introduced that could potentially harm the industry a lot more than offer benefits.

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Published 28 Apr 2021

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