Knowledge is powerSir Francis Bacon
We have learned that when it comes to learning it is important to work smarter not harder. The saying “Measure twice. Cut once” is a solid general rule for you and your teammates to apply to planning your eSports events and preparing your different event roles. It is also important for you to extend the development of technical skills in the digital world of eSports such as databasing.
Let’s imagine that you are preparing a birthday party. Before you start organising you need to know how many people you are inviting, how many people are coming and how many have been confirmed, right? After you have the numbers, you need to know when the party is going to take place, as well as where, and what you are going to offer to the guests … and the list goes on.
Like any other event, when it comes to organising an eSports event, you need to know the number of resources needed for the event to be successful. This is where building a database becomes relevant.
A Database is a collection of organised, stored and easy to access information.
It is widely considered by many of the big tech companies such as TikTok, information is the most important commodity of the new era; everyone profits from it, and you can too. Databasing is an important technical tool for event organisation as it is the storage of relevant information about your community that can be used in future events. You can use Microsoft Excel to create a spreadsheet of your database, a table in Microsoft Word or you can even use an old school notebook. This is to keep a record of all the people that could be involved and easy access to their contact information.
Surveys and Data Recollection
Data collection forms a huge part of the eSports ecosystem. For example, when organising a tournament, you may have unanswered questions such as who may be interested in the event, or what games would be best to showcase and why. This is where the process of collecting data and measuring it comes in handy. Data gathering is a huge part in the pre-production of any eSports event.
The following video highlights the importance of data collection, particularly in education to support students.
Watch: Data Is Power (2:32 minutes)
Watch: Why everyone should be data literate (12:35 minutes)
Understanding the importance of being data literate is a key technical skill in eSports. Jordan Morrow explores how do we decipher between what is true and what is not without becoming data scientists? How can we use information to make better decisions?
Gathering information for your eSports database
Depending on what you want to find out you can use an anonymous survey through a tool such as freeonlinesurveys.com to plan and scope your event. Remember, you will use this for your eSports event which is the course’s capstone assessment.
Watch: Utilising Surveys in eSports Events (6:20 minutes)
Using survey data to create a great event
Sign up for a Basic Survey Monkey account and create a survey to send to your teammates.
SurveyMonkey: The World’s Most Popular Free Online Survey Tool
Watch: How to Analyse Results from a Survey | Step by step guide (4:59 minutes)
Watch the video below to understand how to analyse your survey data which are the answers to your survey questions.
Portfolio Checkpoint 2g: Survey analysis
Now that you have learned how to create a survey and analyse the results, create one to share with your teammates that will help you plan a small-scale eSports event. Screenshot your survey questions and the results of your survey. Then analyse the results and write a few sentences to summarise the survey results. Try to think outside the box and try to maximise the power of handling of information!
Add to your Portfolio.
Emailing
There are many ways to send an email, but not many ways to deliver a message properly. Different contexts will require you to adapt to different situations each time.
Watch: English for Emails: Cc and Bcc explained (2:50 minutes)
Watch the video below to understand further how to effectively use CC and BCC in your eSport events emails.
Did you know? CC means carbon copy. Back in the days when there were no computers the only way to keep track of what you did for clients was to create a physical copy of it. We used to use graphite sheets that with the pressure of the pen would create a second version of the writing.
Confirming attendance for an eSports event
Let's imagine that you have a big test coming up. There are two ways to address it and only one of those is the proper way to do it.
- Prepare and study ahead of time, have deadlines so it does not catch you by surprise. The previous day before the exam you just need a quick recap to make sure you do not miss anything.
- You wait till the last couple of days, and it is hard to deal with it. It is got to be an all-nighter and perhaps you will not even be able to pass the test.
Can you guess which one is the most effective? Of course, it is number one.
Confirming attendance at an event is as important as the previous example. As a matter of fact, it shares many similarities. Double-checking your information with enough time before the event ensures that the number of attendees will be the ones expected. If not, it gives you enough time to adapt to the situation.
Portfolio Checkpoint 2H: Emailing exercise
- Send an email to your course tutor letting them know that you have mastered your email communication.
- Subject: In the subject you should state your name and the following message: NZIS Portfilio 21 Confirmation email.
- Message: The message should be a formal letter informing your tutor know that you have mastered professional lettering.
- CC and BCC: Email your teammates and your tutor by using CC and BCC and explain what you learned from the data gathered in your survey.
Add a screenshot of these emails to your Portfolio.
