Gucci teamed up with the World Health Organization and Faceit to launch a mental health-oriented gaming academy.
The Gucci Gaming Academy made its debut during the Grand Finals of the PGL Antwerp Major. The academy is the first educational gaming initiative from a luxury fashion label. Gucci created the academy to ensure players receive support for their mental and physical health while improving their gaming abilities.
“Gucci is at the forefront of the luxury industry’s foray into the world of gaming, and as part of our mission to build meaningful relationships with communities in a genuinely authentic way, we are dedicated to supporting the up-and-coming generations of players to help manage the challenges they may face as a result of participating in esports,” the executive vice-president of Gucci vault says.
Candidates are chosen for the academy based on both in-game performance and interviews assessing players’ values and skills. Once selected, players remain members of the gaming academy for 12 months unless they are signed to a team sooner.
The gaming academy currently has several ambassadors, including commentator James Bardolph and retired CS: GO gamers Christopher ‘GeT_RiGhT’ Alesund and Stephanie ‘missharvey’ Harvey. The ambassadors will mentor the players in the academy’s roster in monthly one-on-one sessions.
