'More than just computer games': Exeter College boss says digital skills are the future

It's the fastest growing sport in the world with over 800 million fans - but there are no bats or balls, no grass or track and you can wear whatever you like.

Esports, where gamers team up to compete against each other online, is surging in popularity, despite concerns from some that it doesn't offer the physical side of traditional sport.

Mark L'Estrange, head of Esports Exeter College, says the subject can offer just as many benefits as other sports.

'Esport is not just play - it's Esport and media,' he said. 'It's about team building and resilience, being able to handle loss and also celebrate win, that bonding and understanding how individual egos have to be put aside. All those benefits you get from traditional sport is there.'

Esports is one of the fastest growing industries, worth more than one billion pounds and with audiences of around 810 million worldwide.

This week, Exeter College's Esports academy opened a new fully equipped gaming space, which they say is at the cutting edge of modern technology - and will give students the skills they need to succeed in life.

Vice principal Rob Bosworth said: 'People are talking about young people moving from sector to sector, but there will be a new kind of concept of what a job is.

"People will have a job, but they will also do other things alongside it. They will have a YouTube account, a podcast, they will be bloggers. These skills are going to be absolutely fundamental to engage in the world and for entrepreneurs to start up their own business."

The college also offers discounted gym membership, so students can keep their body fit and active, as well as their minds and their fingers.