Are video games…a sport? In today's world, the answer is a resounding yes.
While playing video games competitively might seem a lot different than playing a sport like football or soccer, college esports are quickly on the rise. But what exactly does esports look like on campus?
First, esports is just what it sounds like: playing video games at a competitive level. Esports consists of many of the same video games that are played recreationally by millions of people, including League of Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, Overwatch, Fortnite and more. Most esports games fall into the categories of multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) or battle royale, which is essentially a “last player standing” genre. Esports athletes are frequently streaming their gameplay on websites like Twitch, and there are multiple world championships for specific games each year that are played at large arenas and venues, such as the esports specific stadium in Arlington, Texas, and Madison Square Garden.
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Around the world, esports has been growing at an incredibly fast rate, meaning it was only a matter of time before colleges started having their own esports teams. In 2014, Robert Morris University became the first school to have a varsity esports program. Currently, there are 247 schools that have esports programs that are a part of the National Association for Collegiate Esports (NACE). These include well known schools such as the University of Texas at Austin, University of Missouri and University of North Carolina. NACE encompasses almost all varsity esports programs in the United States and helps schools develop their esports programs as well as host competitions between schools. The NCAA voted in 2019 to not sponsor collegiate esports due to the content of some games being violent and the majority of esports athletes being male, which could present some Title IX issues.
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Currently, schools will compete against each other in a variety of tournaments and competitions. In addition to the events organized by NACE, some schools host their own tournaments. Game publishers themselves will also create leagues and tournaments for their own games, such as Activision Blizzard, which hosts collegiate tournaments for its game Overwatch. Third party tournament organizers have entered the scene as well, and will host events where the winning teams receive scholarship money as a prize.
It can also pay to be a top esports player in the country at the collegiate level. Many schools with varsity programs offer scholarships to be a part of their esports teams. These scholarships usually range from $500 to $8,000 per year, but some schools have started offering full scholarships to their esports athletes. Recruiting for esports works very similar to traditional sports as well–coaches will host prospective athletes on visits and have them partake in matches with the current team to evaluate their performance and potential chemistry with the active athletes.
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College esports have certainly become a force to be reckoned with. With esports continuing to grow, it would be no surprise to even more colleges sponsoring varsity programs within the next few years.
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* Originally published on April 7, 2023, by Owen Roche
