Electronic gaming isn’t just a hobby anymore. For some, it’s a way to engage in a challenging activity, collaborate with others, and even earn a living.
With that being said, it’s no surprise that esports is gaining popularity at the collegiate level. A lot of colleges and universities — large and small alike — have created esports programs and are seeing significant benefits.
While offering an esports program requires an investment in AV conferencing equipment, it’s becoming more and more apparent that the investment is worth it.
How can schools benefit from esports at the Collegiate Level?
There are many benefits that schools and universities see when they create an esports program. They include:
- Having an activity available to students that can withstand a number of circumstances such as remote learning and can change and adapt quickly.
- While esports requires teamwork, it does not require physical contact so it can be done while maintaining social distancing and presents less injury risk than other team sports.
- Fostering student engagement and bringing together students with similar interests who may not have otherwise met.
- Attracting new students through a program that is still relatively unique — students who tend to excel at problem-solving, teamwork, and critical thinking, since those are the skills necessary to succeed at team video games.
- Growing STEM programs since there’s a parallel between people who enjoy video games and those who are interested in academic programs related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
- Offering students an opportunity to express themselves and their passions, which improves retention rate.
What’s needed to implement a collegiate esports program?
For an esports program to thrive, colleges and universities need to set them up for success. They need to create an environment where esports teams can practice, host tournaments, and practice their skills with the proper equipment.
To achieve this, colleges and universities should enlist the assistance of an audio video conferencing company. AV setup is a critical component of esports.
Here are some of the AV components needed for an esports environment:
- Computers
- Gaming keyboards
- Large display screens
- Interactive displays
- Audio equipment
- Live streaming platforms
- Real-time streaming capabilities
It might seem overwhelming, but AV solution providers like IVCi are here to help. Our IVCi Engage program brings the ability to customize your esports program while providing expert guidance every step of the way.
Since esports is likely new to your institution, you may not be sure where to start, and that’s okay! Our team will guide you to help select all of your customizable essentials from furniture selection, to hardware, to mousepads — nothing is too big or small for your dedicated esports configurator.
ENGAGE is offered as a subscription-based service to ensure predictable costs and budget flexibility. In building out your unique subscription, we will carefully consider all your needs and help to create the environment your school needs for a successful esports team.
You can learn more about IVCi’s experience with esports here — once you’re ready to get started, drop us a message and an esports expert will get back to you!
