What is eSports?

eSports can be defined as a form of sports where the primary aspects of the sport are facilitated by video games; the input of players and teams as well as the output of the eSports system are mediated by human-computer interfaces. Most commonly eSports take the form of organized multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players. The most common video game genres associated with eSports are real-time strategy, fighting, first-person shooter (FPS), and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA). Tournaments such as The International, the League of Legends World Championship, the Battle.net World Championship Series, the Evolution Championship Series and the Intel Extreme Masters, provide both live broadcasts of the competition, and prize money and salaries to competitors.

Why Are College Varsity Esports a Big Deal?

The NACE website quotes an article in the June 22, 2015 issue of ESPN The Magazine, which said that 27 million people watched the 2014 championship tournament for League of Legends.

DOTA 2 pulled 20 million viewers in 2014.

Those are impressive numbers without context.

They’re even more impressive when you consider the viewership for other major sporting events that year: 5 million watched the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup Finals. The World Series had 13.8 million. The NBA Finals had 15.5 million.

Clearly, professional esports is already a big deal.

The growing popularity of college varsity esports is not just great for the future of professional esports and gaming in general (and make no mistake, it’s growing: the NCAA is already considering their role in the sport).

College varsity esports is another avenue in which colleges can attract students, celebrate the diversity of interests on campus, and invest money to benefit more of their student body.

If you’re wondering about the dynamics of varsity esports, or you’re interested in becoming a varsity player yourself, please apply to join our inaugural esports team at FCP Sports Academy.