ESPN Hiring Gaming Reporter, Looking for VR/AR Engineer

ESPN continues its push into the world of gaming, recently posting new job ads for a gaming editor and an engineer to work in the field of virtual/augmented reality.

The Bristol, Conn.-based sports media behemoth is now hiring for an "esports editor." According to a newly spotted job listing, this person will oversee ESPN's daily production of esports content, managing a team of staff and freelance writers. Some of the content ESPN's esports team will put out includes daily news stories, "in-depth" projects, and feature packages, among other things.

A desirable candidate will have 5+ years in a media environment, including some leadership roles. This person should also have an "expert-level knowledge" of most major competitive gaming titles, including League of Legends, Dota 2, Hearthstone, Call of Duty, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, and StarCraft II. For more on ESPN's new gaming position, check out the full job ad.

Where ESPN's gaming content will live is unclear. The site used to host a dedicated video game hub called "The Gamer."

ESPN has been ramping up its competitive gaming coverage of late. Last month, ESPN sent reporters to the League of Legends North American Finals in New York City and aired a breakdown on its national SportsCenter broadcast. Earlier in the summer, ESPN broadcast some matches from Dota 2 tournament, The International. And before that, in April 2015, ESPN aired two hours of Heroes of the Storm on ESPN 2.

ESPN: The Magazine also came out with a special "esports edition" in June.

In September 2014, ESPN president John Skipper said the company's main focus would remain on traditional sports because competitive gaming is "not a sport--it's a competition." He said at the time, "Mostly, I’m interested in doing real sports."

In addition, another job ad reveals that ESPN is looking for a software engineer to work on "gaming virtual reality/augmented reality." A desirable candidate would have prior experience with the popular Unity game engine, as well as the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.

"This position will be part of the Multimedia Technology Track of ESPN's Advanced Technology Group, contributing through innovations to the future roadmap of the company, in areas related to image recognition, computer vision, visualization, streaming, and animation," reads a line from the job description. "The group will strive to innovative industry-changing products for digital media, with the focus to deliver high quality leading-edge innovations, from concept to reality. We seek self-motivated, high-performing individuals with a passion for sports and technology."

What do you think about ESPN's push into gaming? Share your thoughts in the comments below.