By Elliot Cory
For On The Edge
April 17, 2023
With the popularity of eSports exploding globally, Edgewood College hosts its largest eSports student-run club as well as a varsity athletic program, according to eSports Director Danny Duchaj.
Not only does the eSports club make gaming competitively more accessible to the student populace, but a handful of upgrades to the eSports arena in Stevie Hall is sweetening the deal.
“This arena (at Edgewood College) has been around for a few years, but we have updated it with brand new chairs, desks, more computers, and more console stations so that we can hold multiple practices and games, but also still have computers available for people to game on” said Duchaj.
eSports offers the growing number of gamers the opportunity to compete with other college teams and train for a job after graduation in fields such as game development, graphic design and software engineering, according to industry reports.
The National Association of Collegiate Esports, a nonprofit group, which started with seven colleges in 2016, reports it has 240 schools as members with 5,000 student athletes, $16 million in scholarships, and an annual convention.
Industry opportunities are skyrocketing globally, according to Newzoo, an industry group that tracks esports data. The company estimated that in 2022 nearly 3.2 billion people would play games in 2022 and consumer spending would grow to a combined total of $196.8 billion.
The expansion of the Edgewood club is responding to that growth, according to students who point to the students’ experience with the game, Overwatch.
Duchaj, A faculty member at Edgewood College, said he joined the program a year ago to revitalize it with other coaches.
The eSports program has several different teams for the various competitive games such as Overwatch, Valorant, League of Legends, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros. Each team has a specific coach, and the teams have weekly practices and matches for the different collegiate leagues. Currently there are 19 total athletes, with some athletes playing multiple games.
Duchaj said any student on campus is welcome to attend the eSports club events, adding that it is a great place to meet new friends, hang out, and play some video games.
Students can attend tryouts for the varsity teams at the beginning of the Fall or Spring semesters. At the tryouts, students will meet the current athletes, play with them, and compete in a match in which coaches evaluate whether they would be a good fit for the team.
For more information, contact Daniel Duchaj at dduchaj@edgewood.edu
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