Meet the Tutor Chris Middleton-Bolch

MEET THE TUTOR: CHRIS MIDDLETONBOLCH

Words by Matt Thompson.

Chris Middleton-Bolch, Pathway Manager for Games and eSports at ACC Norwich, an avid gamer and a man with real, on the ground competitive eSports experience. We sat down for a catch-up with him about how he’s found his time so far at ACC and why he’s so entrenched in the world of gaming.

Hi Chris, tell us a bit about yourself! Hi, my name is Chris. I have been with ACC for almost 3 years now, before that I was a professional eSports player for an organisation called Alliance. Within the organisation I focused on a game called H1Z1 which is a battle royale game that housed 150-200 players fighting off in a last man standing type arena. I was also a Twitch partner, creating regular content for my fanbase and viewers. From there, I studied Computer Science at Kingston University and focused on programming and software development. Lastly, I fused both of those aspects together and I started programming games which led me here.

Which games and gaming technology made the biggest impact on you? I originally started playing games with my brother back in the dial-up connection days. My dad was always an avid technology enthusiast, he had the best PC’s, tech and connections he could lay his hands on.

A specific memory sticks in my head of a game called Tibia, a 2D top down MMORPG. It required a stable internet connection because if your character was eliminated you would lose everything. My brother and I would wait for the dial up connection to finish, put on our headsets and immerse ourselves in a world of adventure. This game had, by far, the biggest impact on my life.

As for technology, the evolution of internet connection has been the most fascinating for me. I am forever grateful for the 100MBPS download speed I have now.

What led you to working within games and eSports and did the games and tech have any effect on the direction you took? At the age of 17, I moved to America for three years to teach at a summer camp and during that time I realised I definitely wanted to be a teacher of some sort. From then, I tried my hand at various different jobs including eSports player, teaching at a primary school and even a car mechanic. I soon realised my niche was definitely games after competing for over two years. Whenever I talked about the subject it made me happy and passionate. This realisation coupled with my love for teaching put me in the right direction. Luckily I stumbled across a job at ACC mid year. I immediately applied, interviewed and joined the team in the space of a week.

Why do you feel games and eSports are so important? I believe games play an important role in wellbeing, friendship, communication, interactivity and much more. During my time at university I learned all about the cognitive thinking behind games development. Every time you hit a level up in your game your brain is rewarded with a positive kick - this causes a heavy positive connection between you and the game. I have experienced friendships throughout gaming and seen students become close friends due to game similarities. All of these key points together really show the importance of playing and making games.

How do you approach games and eSports in an educational setting, and what made you want to be involved in ACC and education? The games industry is rapidly growing and the eSports industry is very new on the scene. Both these industries have a vast array of jobs available. Within eSports you can dive into coaching and casting or you can become en eSports physiotherapist or a health and wellbeing coach.

With games you have a mix of art and technology, from 3D modelling to games programming. The mix of it all, allows students to access their niche. Seeing the ‘lightbulb’ moment whilst teaching is an excellent feeling; you’ve managed to pass your knowledge onto someone else. Additionally I find games students are always so passionate about what they’re doing.

Is there anything the games industry can do better, and how is education going to affect that? The industry is still very new and has a lot to learn. One of the major problems within the games industry is inclusivity. Gender representation and pay inequality has really affected the games industry. I am always glad to see a mix of genders signing up for our games courses at ACC as we can bring recognition to everybody. Whilst in education, students can learn how to accept each other, work as a team and discuss topical issues together. Education is a time to raise awareness of these issues and for students to tackle these topics head on, creating a more open and inclusive environment in the future.

Lastly, what do you think the future of eSports, gaming and gaming technology is? UK eSports is quite behind compared to America and especially Asia as a region. I believe the goal for the next couple of years is to develop regular tournaments within games, treating it more like a sports season rather than occasional tournaments here and there.

League Championship Series (LCS) is the best example of this which is hosted every year with a regular prize pool. Players are paid on a regular basis; creating a more professional industry. ACC is progressing quickly in this industry with the new Esports course and the upcoming VFX course.

To find out more about studying esports at ACC, visit accesscreative.ac.uk