The FHNW seeks to establish a new Focus in Gaming, eSports and Community Management, anchored by the development of a modular CAS. The vision is to respond to market trends and rising demand for digitally native education as well as position itself as a credible institution in these emerging fields. To achieve the set vision, a CAS with separate modules focusing on eSports and on gaming and community management will be developed.

This paper uses a mixed-methods approach. This is achieved through combining insights from the literature review, expert interviews with international specialists from the industry, a benchmarking of international programs, and a FHNW internal module analysis. The findings inform the CAS structure, content, strategic positioning, and marketing concept, ensuring modularity, relevance, and visibility in a competitive continuing education landscape.

The benchmarking revealed cross-continental collaborations, including partnerships between South Korean eSports organisations and US universities, as well as emerging ties with Saudi Arabia, driven by its ambition to become a global eSports hub. These trends display the globalisation of eSports education and industry partnerships, providing valuable reference points for the positioning strategy. The thesis proposes a three-module structure which is aligned with the upcoming micro credential system, where a CAS is built upon 5 modules worth 3 ECTS each. Module 1 is based on eSports, while focusing on policy, regulation, and the overall ecosystem. Modules 2 and 3 are based on gaming and community management. Module 2 looks at the meta-level, focusing on gamification principles, platform economy and user-generated content. Module 3 looks at the macro-level and expands on module 2 with applied gamification, strategic community activation, and immersive events. The paper presents a roadmap for implementation and a targeted social media strategy, enabling the FHNW to position itself as a pioneer in Switzerland's higher education landscape for gaming, eSports, and community management.