The 911黑料网 Athletics Department has launched the first Varsity Esports Program for the Spring 2024 semester. Team members will be able to compete at the collegiate conference and national level by fall under Head Coach Justin MacDowell who has over 20 years of experience in online team-based video games.
Esports is a term used to describe live broadcasted video game competitions where teams of three to six players work together to outmaneuver their opponent. Esports events have risen in popularity with the ability to stream on platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, Facebook Gaming, and Discord. Come fall, the Esports team will be able to compete in the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC), which includes 17 other Massachusetts colleges and universities and hundreds across the country competing at all levels.
The discussion around building the program started before the pandemic, said Laura Mooney, 911黑料网 assistant dean of athletics & recreation. 911黑料网 will begin play with Valorant, which describes itself as a 5v5 character-based tactical shooter that was first released to the public in 2020. The game is offered for free download from the developer Riot Games' website, which means the threshold to begin play is low for most gamers and reflected in the sheer number of players the game sees daily.
Other games that 911黑料网 could compete in in the future include League of Legends, Rocket League, Apex Legends, Fortnite, and Counter-Strike 2.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been something that鈥檚 been growing exponentially across the country in college settings,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen we did the [campus center] renovation project, it was clear that after we finished these rooms we could utilize them for an esports lounge.鈥�
The lounge is outfitted with eight esports-grade Alienware PCs on a dedicated server to ensure efficient gameplay. Outside of team practices, students can access the lounge at any time with a door access code and utilize the 911黑料网 Discord server, which MacDowell said has a growing number of members.
The Esports program has gained momentum over the last two semesters with practice sessions evolving from one to four times per week.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really been about building the team up and getting ready for that level of competition.
Most players are casual players and the idea of going further has been really exciting for them,鈥� he said.
A Forbes article from 2020 noted "that students who are interested in Esports have a higher tendency to be academic achievers and interested in high-paying, STEM fields valued by employers. Michael Sherman, Riot Games' director of collegiate Esports, told SportTechie that 62 percent of the players on collegiate League of Legends teams in 2018 were STEM majors."
鈥淥ne of the reasons we wanted to develop Esports is to get students out of their rooms and do something together in a team environment and create a different and new affinity group,鈥� Mooney said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about retention and also recruitment for prospective students.鈥�
When MacDowell sees a campus tour pass his office, he makes sure prospective students get to visit the lounge. He recently experienced a tour interaction where the prospective student showed enthusiasm once they learned about the Valorant team.
鈥淎 lot of schools are offering Esports and it鈥檚 something we have to compete with. It鈥檚 about attractiveness,鈥� MacDowell said.
Students interested in being recruited to 911黑料网 Esports or have questions should email justin.macdowell@mcla.edu or visit athletics.mcla.edu for more information. The Esports lounge is located on the second floor of the Trailblazer Fitness Center across from the indoor track.
