DuBOIS, Pa. — During the last academic year, Penn State DuBois saw the creation of its own esports club, with a goal of bringing students together through their shared passion for gaming. Although this club is a newcomer to the campus, with the excitement of esports and its recent rapid rise to prominence throughout the world, Penn State DuBois has taken a big step toward making esports a staple on campus.
Last March, the esports club launched its first weekly event with the debut of game night on campus. A weekly gathering for club members and students alike, game night gave everyone a chance to come together in a central location on campus to play video games with one another. At that time, the club used the gaming lounge in the PAW Center for their weekly activity. While this space was more than adequate for the club and for game night, Jason Long, assistant teaching professor of information sciences and technology (IST) and esports club adviser, recognized that he and club members would be able to do so much more if they had a dedicated space that they could call their own.
“To have a proper area for esports, it takes so much more than a few televisions,” Long said. “Obviously, esports today is so much more than console gaming. Today, computer gaming is probably the most prevalent form of gaming, and, with that, you are talking about a larger amount of equipment needed. And with more equipment, you need more space.”
With this in mind, Long and the esports club received permission to utilize a room in the DEF building on campus and they have begun working on building their ultimate goal, an esports arena, said Long.