Varsity gaming: Local universities adapt to the rise of esports
Chris Hower nearly failed out of high school because of his obsession with video games.
He would play them nightly on his bedroom computer and well into the early hours of the morning. His mom would get so mad at him that he had to buy a special keyboard to soften his keystrokes, so he could stop waking her up in her bedroom below.
Now, nearly two decades after his teenage passion began, the 32-year-old Navy veteran and current undergraduate student at Edinboro University has managed to turn his cherished pastime into a job with pay as the head coach of Edinboro’s new varsity esports team. It’s the first university in the region to have an official video game sports group that isn’t at the club level.
He would play them nightly on his bedroom computer and well into the early hours of the morning. His mom would get so mad at him that he had to buy a special keyboard to soften his keystrokes, so he could stop waking her up in her bedroom below.
Now, nearly two decades after his teenage passion began, the 32-year-old Navy veteran and current undergraduate student at Edinboro University has managed to turn his cherished pastime into a job with pay as the head coach of Edinboro’s new varsity esports team. It’s the first university in the region to have an official video game sports group that isn’t at the club level.
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“I’ve been just gaming my whole life,” Hower said. “This is really exciting for me. To grow up in Erie County and have a college that brings in 25 Alienware computers, like that’s unheard of. Unheard of. That’s really cool.”
The university hopes the adoption of the new varsity team will not only spur an interest in admissions, but also show how it is committed to branching out and trying new trends by securing a foothold in the rapidly growing esports industry. “Kids are always streaming esports to learn how to play games and they spend a lot of time, invest a lot of time in different games,” said Katherine Robbins, the athletic director at Edinboro. “We wanted to capitalize on that.” |
“This is really exciting for me. To grow up in Erie County and have a college that brings in 25 Alienware computers, like that’s unheard of. Unheard of. That’s really cool.”
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And capitalize they did.
This fall, 30 students will make up the first group of Edinboro’s varsity esports team. Robbins said more than 100 had expressed interest when applying to Edinboro, so tryouts will be held to bring the best talent to the team. Like Edinboro’s other varsity sports, captain selection and lettering will be available for the players, as well as official team jerseys and scholarship opportunities.
To practice and compete, the university repurposed an old laboratory building to host the team. It features elite computer gaming equipment, an enclosed glass viewing area, bright tubes of neon lighting and a high-speed broadband connection to ensure there are no interruptions come match time.
“It’s new, it’s innovative, it sits well with our academic program,” Robbins said. “We have a strong computer science program and animation program. We actually have a game development program in our computer science (program) and so it was a good fit also academically.”
This fall, 30 students will make up the first group of Edinboro’s varsity esports team. Robbins said more than 100 had expressed interest when applying to Edinboro, so tryouts will be held to bring the best talent to the team. Like Edinboro’s other varsity sports, captain selection and lettering will be available for the players, as well as official team jerseys and scholarship opportunities.
To practice and compete, the university repurposed an old laboratory building to host the team. It features elite computer gaming equipment, an enclosed glass viewing area, bright tubes of neon lighting and a high-speed broadband connection to ensure there are no interruptions come match time.
“It’s new, it’s innovative, it sits well with our academic program,” Robbins said. “We have a strong computer science program and animation program. We actually have a game development program in our computer science (program) and so it was a good fit also academically.”
“I think schools look at this and say, ‘ok look, this is a great recruitment opportunity for us where we can offer a team or offer these types of amenities.’ That’s what students are looking for."
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More than 100 miles away, Point Park University in downtown Pittsburgh is hoping esports will be a good fit as well when the university launches its own varsity esports team in either fall 2020 or 2021.
“I think schools look at this and say, ‘ok look, this is a great recruitment opportunity for us where we can offer a team or offer these types of amenities.’ That’s what students are looking for,” said Stephen Tanzilli, dean of Point Park’s Rowland School of Business and a professor of the introduction to sports, arts and entertainment business course. |
Tanzilli’s course examines the trends in the gaming marketplace and how businesses can put on a successful esports event. Discussions often focus on different financial models for the industry, with sponsorships and advertising rights being primary sources of revenue, as well as looking at the treatment of esport athletes.
Point Park’s Athletic Director John Ashaolu sees creating a varsity esports team as a great opportunity to expand the university’s athletic offerings while catering to the growing demand of the sport.
“We’re a school with 17 sports right now in the athletic department,” Ashaolu said. “We’re always looking to grow in terms of finding that right niche. … Why not jump in with both feet in and start at the varsity level.”
Money to be made
The global rise of esports is a leading cause of its adoption at the collegiate level, with hundreds of millions of dollars now flowing into the industry.
A 2018 study by Goldman Sachs found that 167 million people watched esports tournaments globally in 2017, far surpassing those who watched games from the NHL or MLB. By 2022, Goldman predicts that number will grow more than 65 percent to 276 million people.
The study also found there was $655 million of earned revenue from monetization rights in 2017, with media rights making up nearly half of this amount. Goldman expects that number to reach at least $3 billion by 2022.
In July, the first-ever Fortnite World Cup was held, with total cash prizes topping $30 million. Kyle Giersdorf, 16, of Pottsgrove took home the $3 million first-place prize. In comparison, Tiger Woods won $2 million after coming in first place at the 2019 Masters Tournament.
Point Park’s Athletic Director John Ashaolu sees creating a varsity esports team as a great opportunity to expand the university’s athletic offerings while catering to the growing demand of the sport.
“We’re a school with 17 sports right now in the athletic department,” Ashaolu said. “We’re always looking to grow in terms of finding that right niche. … Why not jump in with both feet in and start at the varsity level.”
Money to be made
The global rise of esports is a leading cause of its adoption at the collegiate level, with hundreds of millions of dollars now flowing into the industry.
A 2018 study by Goldman Sachs found that 167 million people watched esports tournaments globally in 2017, far surpassing those who watched games from the NHL or MLB. By 2022, Goldman predicts that number will grow more than 65 percent to 276 million people.
The study also found there was $655 million of earned revenue from monetization rights in 2017, with media rights making up nearly half of this amount. Goldman expects that number to reach at least $3 billion by 2022.
In July, the first-ever Fortnite World Cup was held, with total cash prizes topping $30 million. Kyle Giersdorf, 16, of Pottsgrove took home the $3 million first-place prize. In comparison, Tiger Woods won $2 million after coming in first place at the 2019 Masters Tournament.
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Back in Pittsburgh, the city got its own professional esports team, the Pittsburgh Knights, in 2017. Last year, the group announced a partnership with the Pittsburgh Steelers. This year, it established a strategic partnership with music artist Wiz Khalifa to continue to grow the organization’s branding in the region.
“There’s joy in winning and competition, just like any sport. It’s a really good outlet, I think, for boys and girls,” Hower said about some of the benefits that come with video games and the competitive nature that can come with them. |
“There’s joy in winning and competition, just like any sport. It’s a really good outlet, I think, for boys and girls.”
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As coach, however, Hower plans to ensure his Edinboro team gets outside and remains physically active.
“I don’t want these kids to just be drinking Mountain Dew and eating Cheetos and just playing all day,” Hower said. “There’s going to be some sort of regimen, some sort of balance.”
His countless hours behind the monitor over the years have more than equipped him for the role, and Hower is looking forward to the present and yet-to-come challenges of leading a team of equally impassioned students.
“Some of the esports franchises and organizations that have money and are already established and are ahead of the curve, they have the tools to do this kind of stuff,” Hower said. “But here, we’re just starting out from scratch, so we’re a little behind these other bigger universities and bigger franchises, but I very much have a big picture vision and I think that the Edinboro faculty members that hired me see that I see that. They can sense that I’m looking at the big picture.”
“I don’t want these kids to just be drinking Mountain Dew and eating Cheetos and just playing all day,” Hower said. “There’s going to be some sort of regimen, some sort of balance.”
His countless hours behind the monitor over the years have more than equipped him for the role, and Hower is looking forward to the present and yet-to-come challenges of leading a team of equally impassioned students.
“Some of the esports franchises and organizations that have money and are already established and are ahead of the curve, they have the tools to do this kind of stuff,” Hower said. “But here, we’re just starting out from scratch, so we’re a little behind these other bigger universities and bigger franchises, but I very much have a big picture vision and I think that the Edinboro faculty members that hired me see that I see that. They can sense that I’m looking at the big picture.”
