USF opens esports lab in campus rec center

Thought video games weren’t a real sport?

The University of South Florida recently opened a 2,700-square-foot esports lab in its campus rec center with 40 Lenovo Legion gaming PCs, a private gaming suite, several console stations with PlayStations, Xboxes and Nintendo Switches and a broadcast room with production equipment.

“I think there’s a lot of negative stereotypes and perceptions when it comes to video games,” USF esports coordinator Andrew Ross said. “‘Oh, it’s a waste of time,’ or, ‘Oh, you could be doing something else, go read a book,’ right? But this is really where these students are. This is what they’re passionate about. And the fact that we now have a space to help them change their dreams, I think, is really important.”

Ross said the university has more than 3,500 students involved in esports and 12 student organizations with more than 40 students who’ve taken on leadership roles.

The space, Ross said, will make the gaming world more accessible, when equipment can often be costly. It will be available to all students as well as community members including high schools, middle schools and companies through a reservation system.

Currently, the university offers two courses related to esports and eventually hopes to offer esports scholarships.

“Esports represents the pinnacle of strategy, teamwork and collaborative competition, which is why we’ve decided to invest in this program at USF,” President Rhea Law said in a statement.

Ross said he hopes the space will help grow the esports community.

“We want to continue to break down the stereotypes within esports, because esports is for everyone,” Ross said. “Whether you play a game competitively or whether you play a game on your phone, you’re playing a game.” 

— Divya Kumar, higher education reporter

https://enews.elist.tampabay.com/q/iea7w2QjGMfGjZ-Q3yUvn0LlzRey9xIDnwChPaaUZbbrhuTQ_zZGka9MU