By Anna Hansen
Edgewood College opened the doors of its new eSports arena Sept. 19.
Located on the first floor of Stevie Hall, the arena boasts a variety of video games as well as different gaming formats. Among these are titles such as Overwatch, League of Legends, Hearthstone, and Mario Kart. These can be played for leisure or in competitive tournaments.
According to Edgewood student and executive board member Kareem Massie, the new arena was conceived from Edgewood Empowered gaming events last year.
“I had the idea after talking to a bunch of students last year,” Massie said. “They were really interested in doing more, having more events centralized around gaming.”
Massie, an active gamer himself, brought these ideas up to the head of the IT department, and the arena came to be.
The turnout for the opening of the arena was, according to Massie, “not as high as I’d expected.”
He said that was due to marketing issues as well as the lack of accessibility that comes with the arena’s residence hall location, but he is hopeful for the future.
“The main thing that I want people to take away from this space is that this is an opportunity for everyone to come in no matter what their background is in terms of gaming, come in and have some fun…this is a space for students,” he said.
Another small get together will be hosted Oct. 26 from 5-9 p.m., an open game night with a Halloween theme. A rocket league tournament will begin at 7 p.m., and snacks will be provided.
For those who aren’t well-versed in the eSports community, ESPN offers coverage of international events and activities within the category, as teams and individuals from around the world compete. Edgewood has its own team, competing in the game League of Legends.
Massie says they’re currently reaching out to some organizations to plan scrimmages. The team also has their own Instagram, @streamingeagles. If any of this sounds like something you’d be interested in, stop by the first floor of Stevie Hall. Come for the games, stay for the big comfy leather chairs.
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