America is being forced to change rapidly and embrace a ‘New Normal’ way of life in America - driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and enabled by a wide range of new technologies. This includes the world of collegiate sports.
This article provides a high level overview of the world of eSports that has been steadily gathering a larger viewing and playing population across the U.S. and around the world. eSports clubs and programs are also catching on right here in South Carolina.
Take a minute to check out the following links to the social media and web sites for 20 Colleges with Varsity eSports Programs - and in my home state of South Carolina, the Clemson University eSports Club, the USC Gamecock eSports Club, and the USC Sumter eSports Program. Will eSports programs in South Carolina one day rival the more costly traditional sports programs of today?
eSports Defined eSports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between individual players or teams. eSports can be watched in person or online by spectators. Like traditional sports, eSports teams have coaches, their players often wear team jerseys, and they compete in physical or online ‘virtual’ arenas. See Wikipedia |
Findings
As the popularity of eSports has grown, numerous colleges and universities have started to increasingly embrace eSports, with some universities going so far as to begin building eSports facilities with eSports programs and a complementing curriculum. Some of these new collegiate varsity programs are also actively recruiting eSports players and offering them college scholarships.
Only seven colleges and universities had varsity eSports programs back in 2016, but by 2018 there were 63 institutions with burgeoning programs. By 2019, over 130 universities had started eSports programs. Within a few more years, expect all major colleges and universities across the U.S. to have some form of eSports program in place.
Responding to the growing interest in collegiate eSports, a number of top North American eSports organizations are teaming up to advance eSports in higher education. For example, the National Association of eSports Coaches and Directors and the Unified Collegiate Esports Association recently partnered to provide more professional development for eSports coaches and program directors. Also, there are now several college eSports leagues, e.g. NACE, Tespa, GenE
A growing g number of universities have actually started building eSports facilities on their campus. Along with high-speed computers and broadband network connections, these facilities also come with top-of-the-line headsets and gaming chairs for maximum comfort and complete concentration for their cyber-athletes. They also include viewing facilities with high resolution large screens for fans. With the right sponsors, some programs have found donors that will readily supply all the equipment needed.
Finally, in a session on the rise of eSports in higher education at the 2019 EduCause Conference, dozens of campus IT leaders showed interest in introducing eSports at their institutions. They found that engaging students in eSports helps them build critical thinking skills, encourages teamwork and innovation, and promote self-directed learning. It also helps with student recruitment and enrollment.
Selected Articles on eSports
The following are selected links to recent articles about eSports programs and activities related to colleges and universities across the U.S. that you might want to take the time to read.
College eSports Scholarships, Leagues, and Varsity eSports Programs
Generation eSports named Exclusive Sponsor of University Interscholastic League
Top 10 University eSports Programs & Facilities in the US
20 Colleges with Varsity eSports Programs in the US
- University Business: Keeping eSports players mentally strong and in the game
Selected Issues
In these trying times, many players report their gaming participation has helped them with issues of social isolation and anxiety by giving them a more comfortable and structured means to interact and develop relationships online. At the same time, concerns center around inordinate hours spent gaming and the potential of addiction, negative mental health effects, and the physiological impact of gaming on the brain.
As a consequemce of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, many sports programs and athletic events have been suspended. In fact several universities have had to permanently cut some of their costly conventional sports programs as budgets have tightened, e.g. Furman University. Think about the hundreds of millions in tax dollars spent on supporting Clemson University and USC Gamecock traditional sports programs, e.g. football, baseball. eSports programs cost considerably less to support.
Next Steps & Recommendations
Every college and university in South Carolina and across the U.S. needs to take a closer look and initiate feasibility and cost/benefit studies that look deeper into setting up eSports programs while simultaneously cutting back support for some costly traditional sports programs, e.g. Lacrosse, Field Hockey, Wrestling...
Many existing colleges and universities have been forced to strengthen their online education programs as a result of the pandemic. Even before the pandemic, online for-profit universities like the University of Phoenix and the American Public University System have challenged the need for continuing with costly taxpayer funded public universities. Over the coming decade expect the movement towards online college education to pick up dramatically. For many of these schools, online eSports programs make a lot of sense.
Times are changing. As much as some would like to cling to the past, we can’t stop progress and the continuing move to online education and eSports. Embrace the future. It’s going to happen.
Selected eSports Links |
