The University of Akron is claiming the top spot for eSports facilities among school’s worldwide.
The university announced three new esports facilities totaling about 5,200 square feet. The school currently fields five esports teams and is spending about $750,000 to equip its eSports facilities.
The university also announced it has secured its first esports sponsor, Stow-based Audio-Technica, earlier this month. The company will supply headsets for each player station for varsity and recreation teams, as well as headsets with attached boom microphones for commentators, the school said in a press release.
Audio-Technica is also contributing about $5,000 in scholarships for varsity players and student audio-engineers.
The new eSports facilities include more than 90 computers and 30 consoles.
They include:
• 1,222-square-foot gaming arena on the first floor of UA’s InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field and studio for broadcasting the events.
• 2,646-square-foot esports center located on the first floor of the Jean Hower Taber Student Union, which will house 300 students representing 10 esports club teams.
• 1,338-square-foot recreational gaming cafe on the first floor of UA’s Honors College which will be free to students in good academic standing. Passes will be available for purchase for community members, alumni or faculty who want to use the cafe.
“This reflects our program’s commitment to ensure—whether you’re a student who likes to game casually or are a dedicated competitive player—that there’s a space for you to celebrate your love of gaming with others who share that passion,” said Michael Fay, Jr., director and head coach the esports programs, in a press release. “We’re not divided by the type of game we play, the platform we play it on or how competitively we play it.”
The facilities are scheduled to open October 5.
