There are less than 100 post-secondary institutions in the United States that have an eSports program, and in the Fall of 2017 Louisiana Tech became one of them.
Last year, the Student Government Association appropriated $80,000 in a March 23 memorandum to develop an eSports arena.
According to statista.com in 2012, there was approximately 100 million viewers of eSports worldwide. In 2020, esports’ viewership is projected to reach 600 million with a $1.5 billion market evaluation.
In the midst of esports’ rapidly expanding popularity, investors, advertisers, governments and even colleges have been seeking to join the new market. Louisiana Tech is no exception to this recent phenomenon.
La Tech esports President Jonas Kety said he believes the rapid rise fueling esports is a result of the combination of readily available, high-end technology and the promise of competitive contests, without the physicality.
“Anything you can play competitively is a sport,” Kety said. “Sports do not have to be physical. They can be mental as well.”
Kety also said LA Tech is particularly equipped to host a successful Sports program.
“Esports caters to Tech’s audience given its STEM focus,” he said. “Tech should use esports to allow players to hone their skills in order to potentially go pro, while gaining a degree at the same time.”
The esports club is not only for competitive players, however. Noah Davis, a freshman computer science major, said he was attracted to the club because of not only the games, but the people as well.
“It is a community, definitely,” Davis said. “I have made some friends, and everyone is welcoming to new players.”
Davis also said he enjoyed the different atmosphere of the esports club compared to Alvar and Hurrik’s downtown, a common hangout for gamers in Ruston.
“The free weekly smash tournament is more laid back, and a good practice environment to try a new character,” he said. “Hurrik’s requires an entry fee and the top places win money so it can be more intense.”
Kety advised newcomers to the esports scene to just have fun and play your game.
“Don’t think of it as competitive until you log at least 30-40 hours, depending on the game,” he said.
Kety also said for those who are ready the eSports club maintains competitive teams in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, League of Legends, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Rocket League, Overwatch and Dragon Ball FighterZ. Once the eSports arena is completed this year, the facilities will be available to eSports members to practice and hone their skills, as well as for recreational purposes among the general student population.
Kety said the arena will operate in a fashion similar to that of LAN cafes. These cafes were a popular method of gaming in the 00s before the widespread availability of personal computers in the home contributed to their decline, however LAN cafes have been making a comeback in urban centers across the western and eastern seaboards.
The arena will mitigate the effects of “students on our campus [who] currently compete in their dorms and apartments where they consume much of the bandwidth,” according to the March 23 memorandum penned by former SGA President Ben Rice.
When asked how he would like to see the esports club develop in the next five years, Kety said he would like the club to be officially recognized as an autonomous sport under the LA Tech brand. Davis said he would like to see the frequency of their collegiate competitions increase, and hopes to one day see the Tech Esports teams’ matches streamed on the screens in Tolliver Hall.