When UAlbany started its esports team in 2019, the coach was expecting a few dozen applicants. Instead, there were 200 applications within two weeks. The team has had 700 applications to date. <br> In conjunction with the esports classes UAlbany now offers, the experience can prepare students for jobs in the growing $1 billion esports industry, said <a href="https://bizjournals.com/albany/search/results?q=Michael Leczinsky" class="article-content-item">Michael Leczinsky</a>, who is teaching the classes and oversees the esports program. <br> "Esports is more than just the gameplay,” Leczinsky said. “There's an industry around it." <br> Esports is a growing entertainment variety in which teams worldwide play multiplayer video games against each other. Many colleges across the country have started varsity esports leagues, which compete for awards and national titles just like regular sports. <br> There’s also a big professional esports presence, with tournaments selling out the Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center) in Los Angeles and Madison Square Garden. The 2019 League of Legends World Championships had 44 million viewers. <br> "It's just like a sport. You're cheering on your team, seeing amazing high-level gameplay," Leczinsky said. "It's everything that traditional sports has; it's just a different medium.” <br> Between the team and the classes, students can learn about all aspects of the industry. That includes production, social media, marketing, front-of-camera work and more. UAlbany is in the process of approving a new esports minor program. UAlbany is now offering merit scholarships for people interested in esports courses and the team. <br> "It's incredibly interdisciplinary,” Leczinsky said. <br> One student who was involved in the college's esports programs was later hired by a company that runs the backend for collegiate esports conferences. <br> "That company obviously saw that she knew the industry. She could interface in that area, and she was obviously very interested and engaged,” Leczinsky said. “A lot of our students are interested in doing this professionally. It may not be in the gameplay itself because it's very narrow, like traditional sports." <br> With 140 students, the UAlbany team is one of the largest in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Esports program. The team plays more than 400 games per semester. ECAC last fall named the UAlbany team winner of the top prize, the ECAC Esports Commissioner’s Cup. <br> To accommodate UAlbany’s high interest in the esports team, the college plans to outfit a 4,000-square-foot space with 48 high-performance gaming PCs, 18 consoles and a broadcasting room for live streams and esports commentary. <br> The space, which formerly housed the college’s IT servers, has been vacant for several years. It’s inside a lecture hall building, steps from the heart of campus. It’s expected to open in fall 2023. The current facility on the downtown campus has 12 PCs. <br> Leczinsky said the esports program has had connections with local industry leaders, like Karthik Bala and Guha Bala of Troy-based Velan Studios. As part of course material, Leczinsky shows some of the online talks the brothers have given. <br> One of the games played at college tournaments happens to be Knockout City, a multiplayer esports game released by Velan last year. Studios in the region and beyond are increasingly focusing on similar esports-focused games. <br> "I try to connect all of that so that students know that a major game, a worldwide game was made right here in the Troy area,” Leczinsky said. <br> Those industry connections benefit the companies and the students, he said. <br> “Students are interested in internships, and studios are interested in hiring talented people.” <br> A recent survey by the Center of Economic Growth showed that about half of the Capital Region’s 24 large and small game studios <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/albany/inno/stories/news/2022/03/10/capital-region-adds-video-game-studios.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204); background-color: transparent;">plan to hire more workers</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> </span>over the next 12 months. The region has more than 500 studio workers right now. <br> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">The survey also found that more than 350 students are enrolled in game development programs, and more than 340 students are playing in national collegiate esports leagues. </span> <br> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">The collegiate esports trend is growing in the Capital Region. Leczinsky said other colleges in the region have reached out to ask for advice about growing their esports programs. </span> <br> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Russell Sage College last fall opened a new esports arena, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Siena College have similar plans underway. </span> <br>Want to stay ahead of who & what is next? The national Inno newsletter is your definitive first-look at the people, companies & ideas shaping and driving the U.S. innovation economy.<br><br><a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/albany/inno/stories/news/2022/03/17/university-at-albany-esports.html">source</a>
Relacionado
