Alex Hapgood, a third year student on the Computer Games Development BSc Honours course was awarded first prize in the British Computer Society (BCS) open competition for the second year in a row. In an interview Alex talked about his entry to BSC, the gaming industry, and his career goals.
What did you have to do as part of the entry to the British Computer Society (BCS) Esports commentary competition?
I had to submit a 1-minute clip spectating a video game. The clip I used was from a Pan-European university tournament for the computer game League of Legends, an event which I was fortunate enough to be cast for, alongside a good friend of mine Stan ‘GreyHart’ Barker.
What inspired your interest in the gaming industry?
I’ve been passionate about gaming ever since I was a child as it was one of my favourite ways to spend my free time. Now, as an adult, I’ve slowly turned that passion into a realistic and workable career path by pursuing a games development course at Westminster and working as a freelance commentator for the League of Legends.
I started shoutcasting, also referred to as ‘casting’, at the start of 2020, with a goal to improve myself and make it a feasible career. I’m very happy to say that after two years of hard work, dedication, and passion, I achieved it. For those who don’t know, shoutcasting refers to the running of commentary in esports that is intended to be entertaining.
What are your future career plans?
I recently took a one-year break from my studies and moved to Berlin. I did this to pursue a full-time casting career with the Northern League of Legends Championship in Berlin. Last weekend, I debuted as a guest caster on the LEC, one of the premier esports broadcasts in the world, with viewership in the hundreds of thousands.
My long-term aspirations for the future are to graduate, keep improving my craft, reach for even bigger stages and delve deeper into my passion for the games I cast.
The University of Westminster has given me so many opportunities to discover things I had always wanted to explore but never had the confidence or time to do. One of those things is shoutcasting, which I’m incredibly proud to have been awarded the BCS Student Esports Commentary Award for the 2nd year in a row.
Find out more about Computer Science and Engineering School courses at the University of Westminster.
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