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Hundreds of collegiate esports athletes are descending on Albany this weekend to attend part of HV Gamer Con 2022.
Alex Klud is one of the athletes representing the University at Albany at the event.
“I started out when i was like … 9 or 10, and I got my first Xbox,” Klud said.
Now a 21-year-old junior at UAlbany, Klud is majoring in psychology and serves as a member of the Marine Corps Reserve. He also happens to have a grand champion rank in the popular, fantastical sport-based video game Rocket League.
Klud is competing in the Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament at HV Gamer Con, along with hundreds of other athletes.
“It’s awesome to be a part of it because you kind of…you get to see firsthand experiences to where some of these programs might be going," he said. "Also, you possibly might be able to get scholarships and stuff like that, too.”
A community college transfer student from the Hudson Valley, Klud chose UAlbany, in part, because of its growing esports program, which now numbers more than 140 students.
“I’m incredibly proud of our students," said Michael Leczinsky, a professor, esports director and head coach at UAlbany. "To see them demonstrate the level of professionalism, dedication, team work. These are things that not only are important in esports, but that are also important in the professional context.”
Leczinsky said just like other athletic programs, there’s an emphasis on being a well-rounded student, a term easily applied to Klud.
Internationally, the esports industry is now worth billions, and attracts traditional sports fans. It also expands on the definition of an athlete and welcomes diversity.
"So, instead of us just like casting video games aside, like ‘oh, they’re bad for you, they’re bad for you,’ now you can kind of like build it into people’s cultures,” Klud said.
With plans on the way for a new esports arena at UAlbany, the way the athletes see it, this is just the beginning for college-level play.
“We’re all in the esports infancy right now," Klud said. "So give it a couple more years and hopefully, we’ll kick off more at the national level, international level and then more colleges are accepting more scholarships for these students.”
