Powering Up Student Engagement with Esports

Esports is booming. Students are choosing colleges and universities based on gaming reputations and the opportunity to participate in esports. Esports represents the largest growth in the game industry. Students are gamers and streamers straight out of high school. This means many are in competitive leagues, earning good income from just streaming and tournament experience. Higher education is taking a front seat in the future of esports. Universities are investing in development of academic programs, dedicated facilities, scholarship-supported collegiate teams, and purpose-built arenas to host competitions. This leads to a new connected student experience, greater brand recognition, and a pathway for a future in the esports industry. What investments are needed? What steps do you need to take to offer the highest quality esports in a university environment? What are the best practices for the faculty, the IT teams, the esport support teams? What can we learn from the game publishers? What strategies and best practices can help you transform your student experience to be the best in higher education. Two universities that have advanced their own programs, the University of Mississippi and Salve Regina University, will share their experiences. Amadeus Phanthanh, Senior Program Manager for Events at Blizzard Entertainment, will discuss the fundamentals for the best esports experience from the game publisher view.