Esports aren’t all fun and games at Slippery Rock University. Well, it might be mostly fun and games, but with the official ribbon cutting of the University’s our esports room on Oct. 2, the study of esports and their role in academic, social and athletic life just got a whole lot more serious.
The esports room, located in the Aebersold Recreation Center, will have a multifaceted role in the campus community. SRU is one of few schools in the country to have undergraduate classes in esports, so the room will bolster the esports minor as well as provide a designated space for the esports club team and esports hobbyists on campus.
Brian Mortimer, SRU director of campus recreation, said that the University’s choice to implement this space is part of a broader intention to provide designated facilities for all of the different club sports teams that the University hosts.
“We thought this would be a great way to enhance our offerings and to put something in that space that students would use,” Mortimer said.
Prior to the space being transformed into the state-of-the-art facility it is now, it was a lounge area with televisions adjacent to the recreational rooms. While the space was purposefully revamped for the esports team at SRU, Mortimer said that Campus Recreation plans to implement free-play time in which students who are not members of the esports team can use the consoles and computers under the supervision of selected club team members or staff.
The facility itself cost approximately $600,000 and was funded by Campus Recreation. The room offers 12 Alienware computers and three television screens as well as multiple X-Box, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch consoles.
So far, the facility has hosted an intercollegiate Splatoon tournament and an NBA 2K tournament as well as hours of training for theresident competitive esports club on campus. Outside of its use by the esports team, the room has also served as a classroom, specifically for Seth Jenny’s classes within the esports minor.
Jenny, an associate professor of exercise science, recently served as senior editor of “Routledge Handbook of Esports,” one of the first interdisciplinary textbooks about competitive gaming. On campus, he teaches two required courses withing the esports minor: Introduction to Esports and Current Issues in Esports, Health, and Society.
“Having a facility like this provides a space for the teams to advance their skills, but really, it’s a lab for people to work on those transferrable skills,” Jenny ssaid.
Esports participation promotes skills like teamwork, leadership and communication just like participation in any sport would, but the nature of esports lends itself to additional skills.
“Most collegiate esports players served some other role beyond just playing,” Jenny said. “They do things like broadcast the matches or serve as in-game leaders. They market and fundraise for their clubs.”
Esports programs have also historically served to increase retention rates at colleges and universities.
“We always talk about Slippery Rock University being a place where people find their people,” said SRU President Karen Riley. “This facility is another place where like-minded people can find one another and enjoy some time together.”
From training facility to classroom to leisure facility, the esports room will provide just the kind of space for community and academic exploration that helps SRU fulfill its mission.
More information about Campus Recreation, the esports minor, and the Esports Club at SRU are available online.
