Chiang Mai University is spearheading the growth of Thailand’s digital and creative sectors through the Northern Regional E-sport Learning Centre (NREL). By integrating education, technology, and industry partnerships, NREL offers a contemporary learning environment designed to cultivate a skilled digital workforce tailored to market demands. The centre also works to promote social understanding about e-sports with the long-term goal of establishing Chiang Mai as a regional e-sports hub.

NREL was founded under the collaborative framework between Chiang Mai University and the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA). It received support following the government’s industrial and digital innovation infrastructure development initiative. The project has been implemented since 2023 to advance the country’s digital economy and support the growing digital content and e-sports industries in the region.

Situated within the university’s Teaching and Learning Innovation Centre (TLIC), on the first floor of Building B, NREL serves as a gaming and e-sports hub that is fully equipped with space, technology and global standard equipment for practical learning in experience labs. It also provides consultation, aiming to promote positive and correct understanding about e-sports to youths, parents and society.

Over the past three years, NREL has expanded far beyond a simple event venue. It has hosted more than 10 e-sports competitions, drawing a combined 5,000 participants and 10,000 spectators across all levels of play. Notable highlights include the 40th University Sports Board of Thailand (USBT) Games (the Ang Kaew Games), the ROV CAMT CMU League, which featured a 100,000-baht prize pool, and the Provincial Youth E-sports Championship, which offered total prizes of over 150,000 baht.

A vital engine of the center’s success is the CMU E-sports Club, which brings together over 60 students from diverse academic backgrounds. These students gain hands-on experience by taking on responsibilities across the entire e-sports ecosystem. Their roles span the entire production pipeline, from competition design and management to graphic media production, live broadcasting, and streaming system design and casting. This immersive environment allows them to garner professional skills and experience during their university years.

Nowadays, the gaming and e-sports industry has evolved beyond entertainment, as it has become the quickest-growing driver of the creative economy. NREL serves as an e-sports and digital content sandbox to foster professionals in this emerging field, including casters, streamers, production specialists and event organizers through active learning and developing a real-world portfolio, thus catering to the need of the digital labor market’s demand in the future.

In its next phase, Chiang Mai University is expanding collaborations with private sector partners and international networks to establish NREL as a premier ASEAN e-sports venue. E-sports will also help drive the grassroots economy, promote digital tourism, and enhance the overall competitiveness of the Thai digital industry.

Ultimately, the Northern Regional E-sport Learning Centre is more than a venue for competition; it is a space of opportunity where education and industry converge to build a sustainable foundation for the digital economy.