British Esports joins Safeguarding in Esports Conference
10 April 2024
As the official national esports federation for the United Kingdom, British Esports plays a pivotal role in shaping the rapidly industry in the region. The organisation was established in 2016 tot promote and nurture future esports talent in the UK, and to develop grassroots esports with the goal of advancing the perception of esports in the UK.
Part of that task is the closing and maintaining deals with interesting partners and stakeholders, as this helps to make esports in the UK more mainstream over time. Last summer, for example, British Esports announced new partnership agreements with both Dell and Intel, who were named Official Technology & Hardware Partners of the brand-new National Esports Performance Campus in Sunderland. More recently, the organisation partnered with the NSPCC to host the inaugural Safeguarding in Esports Conference, that took place at the Confetti X esports arena in Nottingham on February 9th, 2024.
NSPCC Safeguarding in Esports Conference 2024
The NSPCC, which stands for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, is the United Kingdom’s leading children’s charity, preventing abuse and helping those affected to recover. Earlier this year, they organised the Safeguarding in Esports Conference in Nottingham, aimed at uniting stakeholders from across the industry to discuss, learn and share best practices. Because of that, British Esports decided to partner with the conference in the build-up to the NSPCC’s Game Safe Festival, which took place from February 5th to February 11th.
“Esports arenas are clearly where an increasing number of children are spending time”, said Sir Peter Wanless, CEO at NSPCC, at the time about the announcement of the partnership with British Esports, “We are partnering with the British Esports Federation, the UK’s national body for esports, so together we can help keep children safe whilst enabling them to enjoy the benefits of esports and wider technologies in ways which enhance their childhoods and future lives positively.”
More than Safe Game Week 2024
The agreement between the NSPCC and British Esports reaches further than collaboration on the Safeguarding in Esports Conference alone. It actually concerns a multi-year partnership that will see the two organisations collaborate in a variety of topics and projects. One of the objectives, for example, is for the two partners to create an extensive parent’s guide about esports, in order to help them understand the industry better. They will also work together to implement various initiatives to improve child safety online and in esports, including coaching guidance and the creation of best practices for streamers.
The focus will not be solely on the world of esports though, as the new deal will also be leveraged to raise awareness of child well-being in other areas. After all, esports in the UK are growing at a rapid rate and they can help the NSPCC to reach considerably more people with their messages and policies. This way, they want to develop a longer-term vision and plan in collaboration with British Esports to improve child safety in esports and gaming.