The Academic Esports World Tournament (AEWT), hosted by UNSW Sydney, brought together universities, students, and staff from around the world to explore the intersection of esports, education, and international collaboration. The event combined competitive play with knowledge exchange between institutions developing academic esports programmes.

I attended as part of the University of Agder delegation in a faculty support role from the student side. My responsibility was to oversee and support the participating students throughout the event while helping ensure that both Academic Esports at UiA and our sponsor Gard were well represented during the tournament and related activities.

The role involved supporting students during the competition, assisting with coordination and communication, and contributing to the overall representation of the programme in an international setting. Our team performed strongly during the tournament and secured a 3rd place finish amongst the participating universities.

Beyond the competition itself, the event provided opportunities to engage with educators, researchers, and students working within esports and digital media education across different countries. These interactions offered valuable insight into how institutions structure esports initiatives, integrate industry practice into academic programmes, and collaborate internationally.

Participating in AEWT highlighted the growing global interest in academic esports and reinforced the importance of international cooperation in developing esports education and opportunities for students.