Current and future gamers at UC Irvine can soon unite at a new haven on campus with the launch this fall of the university's e-sports initiative.
And that's not all: Students recruited onto UCI's computer gaming teams will be eligible for 10 academic scholarships — same as if they were on, say, the basketball team.
Under UCI's initiative, the Student Center's Zot Zone — a recreational space with pool tables, board games and karaoke — will be transformed into a state-of-the-art video gaming arena with PCs, a webcasting studio and a stage for in-person or online competitions in games such as League of Legends.
The point, according to UCI eSports' acting director Mark Deppe, is to convert a space that typically doesn't get much foot traffic into an attraction for gamers around the world, as well as interested spectators.
"A lot of us think [Zot Zone] is underutilized," Deppe said. "Now it'll be given more of a gaming arena purpose for casual recreational use and for competitive teams to have tournaments."
UC Irvine's gaming teams are student clubs under the umbrella of the Association of Gamers at UCI. They are not official teams sanctioned by the university.
"It has been a dream for many of us on campus that UCI recognize the importance of e-sports and create a space and a program that cater to the large community of gamers at the university," Jesse Wang, president of the Association of Gamers, said in a statement.
A recent survey showed that 72% of UCI students identify as gamers, according to a university news release.
UCI already offers a major in computer game science in the Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences, where students learn programming, graphics and game design.
League of Legends and Super Smash Brothers are popular among gaming team members, some of whom play in national competitions.
Current and incoming students recruited to the teams will be able to get scholarships covering a portion of their college tuition, Deppe said.
"Think of it like an athletic scholarship," he said. "We'd recruit the best League of Legends player and have them compete for UCI."
The gaming arena is intended to attract players and spectators like UCI's Bren Events Center would with other sports, he added.
"This will help make UCI a school of first choice for people who are about gaming," Deppe said. "It'll help establish us as a leader in video gaming, offer scholarships to students and generate revenue in a way that an athletic program can do with ticket and ad sales revenue. Overall, it's a huge net benefit to the campus."
The new 3,500-square-foot arena, expected to open this fall, will be equipped by iBuyPower, a sponsor of UCI eSports, with 80 of its gaming PCs, loaded with popular video game titles.
"UCI has one of the top competitive gaming clubs in the nation and deserves top-of-the-line equipment," Darren Su, iBuyPower's vice president, said in a statement.
For more information about UCI eSports and recruiting, visit esports.uci.edu.
Alex Chan: Contact Reporter
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