Peking University opened a new course on electronic games this semester, and students have responded with tremendous enthusiasm amid the fast-developing game industry in China, Beijing News reported.
北京大学新学期开设了一门有关电子游戏的课程，学生们的反应相当热烈，这也与游戏产业在中国的快速发展息息相关。
The optional course General Theory of Electronic Games, which is open to all students, was designed to accommodate 120 students but attracted about 200 for the first two lessons.
《电子游戏通论》这门选修课面向所有学生开放，本来打算上限定为120人，但前两节课就大约吸引了200名学生。
"The course does not teach students how to play electronic games, but to study issues related to electronic games, including research and development, technology, the industry, publicity, and players' psychological problems," said Chen Jiang, the course instructor and deputy professor of the School of Electronic Engineering And Computer Science.
授课老师、北京大学电子工程与计算机科学学院副教授陈江表示，“这个课不是培训学生玩儿电竞的，课程讲述的是跟电子游戏有关的研发、技术、行业、宣传、心理等问题。”

Chen wants the course content to have variety. Apart from his own lectures, he invited guests to talk to students, including a team with firsthand experience in developing games, an alumna who created her own game, and a psychology teacher who could discuss the social and psychological problems caused by games.
陈老师希望这个课程更加多样化。除了自己授课部分，陈老师还会邀请嘉宾来一同交流，有一线游戏开发团队，也有自己开发游戏的女校友，以及心理系的老师来讨论游戏导致的社会问题和心理问题。
Some students even have the opportunity to attend electronic sports competitions for close observation.
部分同学将来甚至有机会去电竞赛场近距离观察。
According to the 2017 China Game Industry Development Report, the annual revenue for the industry has reached 219 billion yuan.
根据《2017年中国游戏行业发展报告》显示，中国游戏行业整体营业收入约为2190亿元。
Though the industry is a great contributor to GDP and employment, playing electronic games is still seen by many as an inappropriate pastime, especially for students.
尽管电子游戏产业对于GDP和就业有巨大贡献，但是玩游戏--尤其是学生玩游戏，仍被很多人看作不务正业。
The course is not meant to challenge traditional thinking, said Chen. "I like playing games, but I deeply understand the problems that games have caused."
陈老师称，开设这门课并非是“反传统”或者“为了挑战而挑战”。他说道：“我自己很喜欢玩游戏，但也深知游戏导致的一些问题。”
Chen predicted many students will be involved into the game industry either through employment or investment, as the industry may develop into a backbone of the entertainment industry before long.
陈老师还预测称，许多同学将来就业或者投资，都要直接或者间接跟这个行业打交道，在可见的未来，游戏或许会成为娱乐业的主业。