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Regardless of facility — university, high school, middle school — esports competitive gaming is an area you should be exploring. While at first glance esports may appear to be an activity relegated to dorm rooms or small off-campus events, in actuality it is an opportunity to attract new students and provide a critical differentiation point for school recruiters, and an excellent way to increase school morale and fan engagement.
Absolutely. In fact, it's probably the best way to start an esports program. Many facilities start by simply adding additional computer workstations to an existing room, such as the library or the computer building. Note: verbal communication is key to the sport so you'll want to pick an area that won't be disruptive to other individuals.
100%. When not used by the esports teams, the computer setups can be utilized by graphic design students and for video production. It is important to note that the computer setups do require additional power and specialized monitors; while you can certainly start your program with mid-tier equipment, professional setups will be needed to succeed in any type of competitive events.
Since 2016, the number of institutions that have launched varsity programming has grown to its current count of over 170 institutions, 5,000+ student athletes, and $16 million in esports scholarships and aid. As of June 2019, over 94% of all varsity esports programs in the U.S. are members of NACE with an ever increasing number of schools exploring esports.
According to NACEsports, initial startup costs are as follows:
While there will certainly be some initial outlay of funds required, esports brings with it many ways to recover those expenditures, including:
source: ViewSonic
At a minimum, you'll need a air-conditioned dedicated space that can support 4-6 computer workstations, high speed monitors with 240hz (ideal) or 120hz (minimum) refresh rates, and gaming peripherals; keyboards, mice, headsets, backup power and seating. Don't buy the biggest monitors, either. For competitive first person gaming, many esports athletes prefer a 22"-24" monitor as they can more easily take in the entire field of view. Remember that these workstations can serve multiple functions when not in use by the esports team.
One of the most critical factors in esports is reducing lag times. 30-50ms lag times might be acceptable for casual gaming situations, but in order to succeed in competitive gaming, you want to shoot for sub 5ms lag times. Being able to react quickly without worrying about delays due to your equipment or network is key to team success.
Provide your esports team members the ability to setup optional configurations for their monitors and workstations and try and provide the highest resolution displays. Plan for streaming and group events from the beginning by working with your IT department / network teams to ensure you have enough bandwidth and ways to share competitions both in-house and online.