Collegiate eSport: Where Do We Fit In?

摘要

Imagine a parent telling their child to come inside to practice their video games in hopes of getting a scholarship to college. This is the new and quickly evolving reality of eSport. There are currently 22 colleges that recognize eSport as a collegiate varsity team. Five of these 22 offered eSport scholarships for the 2015 to 2016 academic year. Robert Morris University was the first school to sanction eSport as a varsity sport and 17 of their eSport athletes are on 70% scholarship (1). The popularity of eSports is growing at a rapid pace. However, like many individuals in the health profession, you might lack familiarity of this new phenomena. eSports is electronic gaming, also referred to as programing or competitive video gaming. Competitive video gaming has a global audience of more than 320 million, and it is being included in the 2022 Asian Games. It is being considered by the International Olympic Committee to be included in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. eSports broadcasts games via the internet on a social platform through Twitch.tv. More people watched the League of Legends World Championship (32 million) than the Major League World Series (14.9 million) and the NCAA Basketball Final Four (15.7 million) (2,3). In 2017, it generated more than 400 million dollars in revenue (4). Goldman Sachs valued eSports at US $500 million in 2016, and by 2020 predicts it to generate more than US $1 billion (4). The grand prize for winning the championship can go as high as US $20 million. Smaller schools are starting to take notice and jump on board as a way to increase enrollment numbers. It brings new attention to colleges and a new type of student to enhance college recognition. The New York Institute of Technology created an eSport team in January 2017 with 8 players. Within one competitive season, it has grown to 37 players. "This will be the first full year that the team competes. I expect them to compete at the highest level possible, just the same as I expect from the traditional sports teams. They are a part of our department and my expectation of them is the same as the rest of our programs," says Daniel Velez, director of Intercollegiate Athletics at the New York Institute of Technology.