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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
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