The dean of Petree College of Arts and Sciences is searching for a venue for a potential esports club.
Esports is an interactive and competitive gaming environment involving computers and consoles. Dr. Amy Cataldi, dean of the Petree College of Arts and Sciences, and Gerry Hunt, chief information officer, are looking for a venue an esports club could potentially meet in.
“We’re trying to find a place on campus where we can have between five to ten high-end gaming machines with headphones, gaming chairs and everything required to have a successful esports team,” Hunt said. “Esports is an ever-growing environment that more and more universities are adding as a club sport.”
According to the National Association of Collegiate Esports, there were only seven collegiate institutions in 2016 with an esports team. As of 2019, there are now over 130 campuses that offer official esports programs.
Joseph DeShazo, business administration freshman, said esports is a growing phenomenon and it would be good for the university to join early on and become part of the movement.
“As technology gets more advanced and inclusive over time, esports is definitely something we could do,” DeShazo said. “I think as the club starts to get developed more, it will be really strong.”
Hunt also said advanced technology allows for inclusivity.
“It doesn’t matter how big you are, how small you are, how old you are, or what gender you are,” he said. “It’s a very open and inclusive sport which I think is cool.”
The goal of the NACE is to raise as much support for esports on campuses as is seen with traditional athletics.
Hunt said some university programs have included service learning aspects, provided scholarship money for the participants, required fitness regiments, and limited how much time the students can practice online.
“We don’t want to promote any addictive behavior,” Hunt said.
For questions about the esports club and how to join, students may email Cataldi at acataldi@okcu.edu.
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