senior scribes
text

Cleveland Plain Dealer
Video gamers are now varsity athletes with scholarships at some Ohio colleges embracing eSports
By Karen Farkas

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Video games have gone varsity, leading to college scholarships as campuses embrace gaming as an "eSport."

ESports or "electronic sports" is competitive video gaming at the highest skill level, says Miami University, which said in 2016 it was the first Division I school to offer a varsity eSports program.

Competitions are live-streamed, and the teams compete against other colleges in strategy. Tryouts for the Hearthstone, League of Legends and Overwatch varsity teams will be held next month.

The college does not yet offer scholarships, but could in the future.

Tiffin University not only has launched an eSports program this month, but plans to build a gaming complex.

"We have acquired land and have committed to the creation of a gaming arena--a stand-alone eSports complex," TU President Dr. Lillian Schumacher said in a statement. "This complex will house a state-of-the-art eSports training room as well as a gaming lounge for all TU students to enjoy."

Lourdes University, near Toledo, also added eSports this year.

"The addition of an eSports program promotes a holistic approach to collegiate athletics," President Mary Ann Gawelek said in a statement. "As a liberal arts institution, we value and recognize the important aptitude and skills these students will bring to Lourdes University. Competitive video gaming requires students to possess excellent critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork skills - which are transferable to their academic pursuits. In addition, these individuals must follow a strong fitness regimen and have a healthy mind and spirit."

ESports players maintain practice schedules that occupy a lot of time, not unlike a typical athlete's regimen, proponents say. And the college programs are attracting attention in high schools.

The recently formed Ohio High School eSports Association says it is organization interscholastic competitions and plans to sponsor sectional, district, and state competitions this school year. It is promoting its efforts via social media.

It currently has six member schools across the state, including Berea-Midpark High School.

Michael Brooks, the founder of the National Association of Collegiate eSports, said parents often ask him "Is this the real thing?  And that's totally fair -- it's brand-new," he told Inside Higher Ed.

The association formed a year ago with seven colleges. Now more than 50 are members. Many offer scholarships, at about a $7,600 per average, the association said.

This spring the University of Utah announced it will begin awarding scholarships to players who make the school's varsity eSports team, which is said to be the first scholarship program for competitive gaming for a school in one of the NCAA's five major conferences.

Many eSports players have uniforms and the "arenas" where these games are played are generally complex computer labs, stocked with high-quality gaming PCs and hefty monitors. Gamers often pick their preference of keyboard, headset and mouse, Inside Higher Ed reported.

There are no spectator seats.

Colleges either place eSports under university athletics or in student affairs.

Maryville University's team, which dominated the 2017 League of Legends college tournament, traveled to China for a worldwide competition.

China is the global center for eSports. It was recently announced that eSports will be an official medal sport at the 2022 Asian Games in China.

Read this and other articles at the Cleveland Plain Dealer


 
senior scribes

County News Online

is a Fundraiser for the Senior Scribes Scholarship Committee. All net profits go into a fund for Darke County Senior Scholarships
contact
Copyright © 2011 and design by cigs.kometweb.com