{"id":24121,"date":"2018-05-18T12:18:35","date_gmt":"2018-05-18T16:18:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/?p=24121"},"modified":"2022-03-16T11:56:36","modified_gmt":"2022-03-16T15:56:36","slug":"gaming-and-esports-scholarships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/gaming-and-esports-scholarships\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rise of Collegiate Gaming and Esports Scholarships"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avid gamers whose parents nag at them for playing video games too much can now plead: \u201cI\u2019m playing to improve my game and get an esports scholarship for college.\u201d Esports is a form of organized, multiplayer video game competition played for spectators. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People who hear about esports for the first time might scoff. But the reality is, it\u2019s not just the general sports industry but colleges and universities across the country that are adopting esports as a varsity athletics sport. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In January 2017, the Big Ten Network (BTN), an American sports network dedicated to covering collegiate sports, partnered with Riot Games, an American video game developer best known for the \u201cLeague of Legends,\u201d to <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/btn.com\/2017\/01\/19\/big-ten-network-launches-league-of-legends-college-season\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">launch the official BTN \u201cLeague of Legends\u201d college season<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The first official season featured 12 schools, and its finals were televised on BTN. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To date, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nacesports.org\/school-directory\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">70 universities and colleges<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> across the country have joined the National Association of Collegiate Esports, a nonprofit membership association organized by the member universities to advance video games as a legitimate college sport.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cColleges and universities need to adapt to new trends of their students and that&#8217;s what we&#8217;re seeing with college esports,\u201d said <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/directory.uci.edu\/?alias=MDEPPE\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mark Deppe<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the acting director of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/esports.uci.edu\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UC Irvine Esports<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the world\u2019s first esports program at a public university with the nation\u2019s first <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/esports.uci.edu\/arena\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">arena<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> dedicated to esports. UC Irvine currently offers <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/esports.uci.edu\/recruitment\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">scholarships<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the amount of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$5,610 for \u201cLeague of Legends\u201d and $2,500 for \u201cOverwatch\u201d players.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"UCI eSports - UC Irvine\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iXqi6cA06KU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like other popular traditional sports, esports has a huge fan base. While 22.3 million and 103.4 million people watched the 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2018 Super Bowl respectively, 360 million people watched the 2017 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/newzoo.com\/insights\/trend-reports\/global-esports-market-report-2018-light\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Newzoo<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a data analytics service covering esports, predicts that esports will reach 380 million viewers and generate $905.6 million in revenue in 2018. So esports may be the next big stop for the sports audience. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Recruiting Top Gamers<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just like they recruit players for other traditional sports, colleges and universities like Ashland University are recruiting top gamers. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cRight now, we\u2019re building for competition, like an athletic team,\u201d said <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/goashlandeagles.com\/sports\/esports\/coaches\/index\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Joshua Buchanan<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, head coach of Ashland University Esports. \u201cI believe that the most successful esports program is based on forming a community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ashland first <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/goashlandeagles.com\/sports\/esports\/2017-18\/releases\/esports1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">announced<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> its intent to compete in intercollegiate esports in February. Starting this fall, the university is offering <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ashland.edu\/content\/ashland-university-esports\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">up to $4,000<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> per year in esports scholarships.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ashland is the first university to add \u201cFortnite,\u201d a video game that launched last fall and is quickly gaining popularity worldwide, to its esports program. Ashland\u2019s \u201cFortnite\u201d team will participate in its first tournament next month.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Right now our preparation for this tournament consists of at least 3-4 hours of playing together every night. Then we go back and watch certain match replays,\u201d said Josh Marchand, a main tank in \u201cOverwatch\u201d and an incoming freshman at Ashland with an intended major in cyber security. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to \u201cFortnite,\u201d Ashland\u2019s varsity and junior varsity teams will compete in the \u201cLeague of Legends,\u201d \u201cOverwatch,\u201d \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hearthstone,\u201d \u201cCS:GO,\u201d \u201cStarcraft 2,\u201d and \u201cRocket League.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Is it really a sport?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But just because it\u2019s trending, does it make esports a sport? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By definition, a sport involves all forms of physical exertion and skills by individuals or teams competing against each other for entertainment to participants and, if any, spectators. To people who can only think of feet running and hands dribbling when it comes to physical exertion and skills, esports may never be a sport. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, if you consider your brain activity as a form of physical exertion and skill, esports make sense. Just like any other traditional sports, esports require strategic planning, skillful execution and team coordination to win the game. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a team, if we had time before matches or during the day, we would schedule practices so we could warm up not only individually, but as a team,\u201d said Behrod Baghai, an in-game leader and main support for \u201cOverwatch\u201d and a junior studying public health science at UC Irvine. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Baghai, mechanics, communication, coordination, execution, and theory-crafting are just some of the many skills esports require. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In simple terms, the only difference between a traditional sport and esports could be the very body part players are using to play. In fact, many professional esports players spend hours in the gym to keep with the saying that a healthy body makes a healthy mind. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amidst differing opinions, in 2017, the International Olympic Committee <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.olympic.org\/news\/intel-brings-esports-to-pyeongchang-ahead-of-the-olympic-winter-games\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">acknowledged<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the growing popularity of esports and future possibility for esports to be considered as an Olympic sport. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, Intel sponsored exhibition esports events and five South Korean professional esports players joined the world\u2019s biggest celebration of sports by walking in the Olympic Torch relay. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPeople are beginning to understand the level of skill, tenacity, communication, and critical thinking needed to compete at the highest level,\u201d said Deppe. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Why now?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There may be many reasons why colleges are joining the esports movement. But the biggest one is the generational shift. As even the most quoted generation of millennials are also growing older, the relatively younger and the most recent generation, Generation Z is becoming the main college population. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To those who grew up using Siri and Facebook and seeing self-driving cars in the streets, the concept of esports naturally comes across as another type of sport. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s not so much about whether esports is a sport or not, but whether you\u2019re a fan or not &#8212; just like you can prefer basketball over football. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMany students\/adults in that age group between 18 to 24 play esports\/video games in general, so there is a large demand for it,\u201d said Baghai. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, more than ever, many prospective and current college students aspire to work in the technology industry, which is perceived to be both lucrative and innovative. Knowing that they\u2019ll not only attract talented students, but also get the heads up in the industry, college and university administrators are willing to grant scholarships to gamers. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cSchools want to create diversity on campus,\u201d said Buchanan. \u201cThis is a good way to do that. I think it\u2019s about thinking towards the future. They think that esports will just keep growing and if they can start early, and be one of the first colleges to support the industry, that will only benefit them.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The older generation often worry about the lack of social contact among young people. While their worries should not be overlooked, that shouldn\u2019t be the whole story about esports either. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, the most popular esports are very social. Games like \u201cLeague of Legends\u201d and \u201cFortnite&#8221; are heavily based on forming communities and working together. This is why all collegiate level esports involve multiple players. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I think now people are realizing that there\u2019s a lot of benefits, both socially and psychologically, and perhaps for your careers. If you end up getting a scholarship to play esports or end up getting a job in the industry,\u201d said Buchanan. \u201cAnd I think the more to expand, the more that stereotype of a gamer sitting in their basement, playing by themselves, this is gonna disappear.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As it gets ready for the fall semester, Ashland\u2019s esports team is excited to join many other colleges and universities at both regional and national conferences and hope to create a community with good sportsmanship. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether esports is a sport or a game, one thing is clear. This is the future.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Other esports scholarships<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Robert Morris University, Illinois was the first US university to offer <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rmueagles.com\/article\/907\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gaming scholarships<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> up to 50 percent tuition and 50 percent room and board, with scholarships available for the 2014 fall semester.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many other colleges and universities followed suit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Starting with a successful pilot program in the fall of 2016, Southwest Baptist University was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sbuniv.edu\/news-events\/sbu-esports.php\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">one of the first 15<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> universities in the country to offer esports as a varsity athletics program, offering scholarships up to $10,000.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2017, the University of Utah became the first Power 5 school to offer video gaming scholarships. Its team of 33 players, each receiving <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/unews.utah.edu\/university-of-utah-unveils-roster-for-first-varsity-esports-team\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$1,000 per year<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is fully funded by the school\u2019s Entertainment Arts and Engineering video game design development program. In the future, the university hopes to offer full scholarships and build a gaming arena.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just last month, the University of California, Berkeley, one of the most frequent champions at esports tournaments, crossed two milestones: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sa.berkeley.edu\/press-release-new-esports-community-center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">creating their first esports community center<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sa.berkeley.edu\/press-release-scholarship-and-intramural-esports-league-partnership\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">partnering with Riot Games<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to give scholarships of varying amounts to their \u201cLeague of Legends\u201d team. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are just a few of the esports scholarships available. Gamers interested in exploring esports scholarships can click <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/esports-scholarships-for-gamers\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a>&nbsp;to find more esports scholarships.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Avid gamers whose parents nag at them for playing video games too much can now plead: \u201cI\u2019m playing to improve my game and get an esports scholarship for college.\u201d Esports is a form of organized, multiplayer video game competition played for spectators. People who hear about esports for the first time might scoff. But the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":45243,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[661,264,671,430,441,230,229,133,482,549],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ace-college","category-ashland-university","category-financial-aid-ace-college","category-robert-morris-university-illinois","category-southwest-baptist-university","category-news","category-lead-stories","category-university-of-california-irvine","category-university-of-california-berkeley","category-university-of-utah"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/esports.jpg",830,533,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/esports-224x144.jpg",224,144,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/esports-300x193.jpg",300,193,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/esports.jpg",830,533,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/esports.jpg",830,533,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/esports.jpg",830,533,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/esports.jpg",830,533,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Hyeyeun Jeon","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/author\/hyeyeun-jeon\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Avid gamers whose parents nag at them for playing video games too much can now plead: \u201cI\u2019m playing to improve my game and get an esports scholarship for college.\u201d Esports is a form of organized, multiplayer video game competition played for spectators. People who hear about esports for the first time might scoff. But the&hellip;","featured_media_src_url":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/esports.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24121"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24121\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}