Page 32 - aruba-today-20170916

A32 FEATURE
Saturday 16 September 2017
At more U.S. colleges, video gamers get the varsity treatment

By COLLIN BINKLEY past decade, with flashy
Associated Press professional events that fill
BOSTON (AP) — In some sports arenas and draw mil-
ways, they’re like typical lions of online viewers.
college athletes. They’re The biggest tournaments
on varsity teams. They train offer prize pools upward of
for hours between classes. $20 million, attracting elite
Some get hefty scholar- gamers who wage battle in
ships. But instead of play- popular video games such
ing sports, they’re playing as “League of Legends”
video games. and “Overwatch.”
Varsity gaming teams with Until recently, most colleges
all the trappings of sports were slow to meet demand
teams are becoming in- for a collegiate version, ex-
creasingly common as perts say, but interest has
colleges tap into the rising come in a flurry over the
popularity of competitive past year as more schools
gaming. After initially keep- see a chance to benefit
ing its distance, even the from the industry’s growth.
NCAA is now considering Smaller private schools in
whether it should play a particular have been quick
role. Fifty U.S. colleges have to create varsity programs
established varsity gaming as a way to boost enroll-
teams over the past three ment numbers, although so
years, often offering at least far it has brought mixed re- In this Aug. 25, 2017, photo, Connor Nguyen, at right, and Griffin Williams, second from right,
compete in a “Super Smash Bros. Melee” tournament at the Shine eSports festival at the Seaport
partial scholarships and sults. Among several start- World Trade Center in Boston. Griffin, 21, is captain of an esports team at the University of California,
backed by coaches and ing new teams this year is Irvine, and Nguyen, 23, is a graduate of the school.
game analysts, much like the College of St. Joseph, Associated Press
any other college team. a school of about 260 stu- become a national power- nors announced in August ers on campus.
“We’re talking to at least dents in Vermont. house. that it will discuss its “poten- “It really builds a sense of
three or four new schools “Strategically, we knew But it’s also catching on tial role” in esports at an Oc- community,” said Griffin
every single day. We did that it would give us more at some bigger schools, tober meeting, noting the Williams, a senior at UC Ir-
not expect this type of cache with students,” said including the University of “prevalence of organized vine who captains a team
reaction,” said Michael Jeff Brown, the school’s Utah, which says its new gaming competitions” on for the game “Super Smash
Brooks, executive director senior vice president and varsity teams are the first at college campuses. Bros. Melee.” ‘’I actually
of the National Association athletic director. “We’re all any school in the five major Supporters of collegiate feel more school pride than
of Collegiate eSports, a looking for a way to bring athletics conferences. gaming say varsity teams I would have had other-
group that represents more more kids in.” Although most collegiate can bring national expo- wise.” Other schools have
than 40 schools with varsity Many colleges hope to tournaments are now orga- sure to colleges at a rela- brought esports into the
gaming teams. “It caught replicate the success nized by third-party gam- tively low cost, with the po- classroom as students pur-
us a little off guard.” they’ve seen at Robert ing leagues or video-game tential to land sponsorships sue careers in the business
Competitive gaming, of- Morris University in Illinois, a companies, the rapid ex- that bring costs even lower. side of gaming. Boston’s
ten called esports, has be- small school that launched pansion has caught the at- The University of Califor- Emerson College is offering
come a booming enter- the country’s first varsity tention of the NCAA. The nia, Irvine, opened a new a new course on esports
tainment industry over the team in 2014 and has since league’s board of gover- $250,000 “eSports arena” this year and eventually
last year with financial hopes to offer a minor de-
backing from sponsors in- gree.
cluding a computer com- “It’s becoming a vast piece
pany and Riot Games, a of everybody’s world,” said
video-game maker that Gregory Payne, the head
organizes collegiate tour- of communication studies
naments. at Emerson. “We have to
Other sponsors of the be open to what new gen-
3,500-square-foot arena erations are dealing with.”
provided 80 high-end com- Still, some have been re-
puters, specialized gaming luctant to embrace what
chairs and other equip- is sometimes seen as a
ment, university officials slacker’s pastime. Adminis-
said. trators on many campuses
“Compared to traditional leave gamers to compete
sports programs, it’s more through unofficial clubs
affordable,” said Brooks, of rather than varsity teams.
the collegiate esports asso- But that hasn’t stopped
ciation. “At the end of day others who expect col-
all we’re talking about is a legiate gaming to keep
souped-up computer lab.” growing. After announcing
Students who represent its first varsity team in April,
their schools say it teaches Utah has already add-
them lessons in strategy, ed teams for three more
In this Sept. 23, 2014 photo, Robert Morris University Illinois freshman, Alex Chapman, left, is teamwork and time man- games and eventually
critiqued by assistant coach Jose Carrasco as he practices playing the video game “League of agement, and it offers ca- hopes to offer full scholar-
Legends” with their collegiate teammates at their on-campus training facility in Chicago. maraderie with other gam- ships to gamers.q
Associated Press