Over the last ten years, competitive video games have steadily gained popularity. From the early 2000s, when people played in tournaments for Halo and Quake, to now, when there’s competition in dozens of games.
Business Insider even reports that the esports industry will surpass $1.5 billion by 2023. The University of Oregon already has teams for a few games. Call of Duty, Rocket League and Overwatch all have teams but with a little extra funding the university could expand our esports program and become a leader in the scene.
Video games are a bigger part of our culture than ever before, with tournament prizes in the millions and millions of viewers tuning in. Interest in esports is only going to continue rising, as a 2018 Pew Research Center report found that 90% of teenagers aged 13 to17 play video games. Among only boys, that figure was 97%.
Other colleges have strong esports programs, which, when supported by the schools, can earn national recognition. Robert Morris University Illinois, now called Roosevelt University after a merger, has a renowned esports program with a committed coaching staff, as well as sponsorships from companies such as ASUS that provide students with state-of-the-art facilities and more scholarship opportunities.
Scholarships for esports are extremely valuable because they are usually more accessible by the average student. Though they take intense skill and dedication, they do not require the physical prowess of traditional sports. Most esports are a possibility for all students, regardless of ability, as new adaptive controllers are developed.
At UO, the varsity esports program is hidden away behind the radio station on the bottom floor of the Erb Memorial Union rather than being its own entity. Recently the Esports Lounge was completed in the EMU, but the lounge is more of a place for casual gaming because most competitive gamers already have their own setup. This lounge shows how misguided UO is regarding Esports. It is good that students have the opportunity to play games in a semi-public space, but instead of creating a lounge for all students to use, the university should have created facilities exclusively for the players, invested in a larger staff or expanded the number of games offered.
The lounge is a testament to UO’s failure to take esports seriously, which will eventually be seen as a massive missed opportunity. Where real sports have failed to fully adapt to the current pandemic, esports have flourished. Students are understandably upset that the football season has been shortened, but I for one would be happy to have an esports team to root for in the meantime.
As a university that prides itself on school spirit and athletic competition, UO is missing out on a massive opportunity to draw in a new crowd of fans. Organizations like the Collegiate Rocket League draw tens of thousands of viewers, but UO students have little way of knowing when our team is playing. Our current esports teams deserve more recognition and support from the university, and the best way to do that is investing in and establishing a legitimate program.