Today’s topic: Latest esports news. A big surprise of this century is the e-Sports phenomenon. In the past gamers were ridiculed. Today they are earning more that sports people and gamers championships have better ratings than old sports. So here are some latest e-sports news.
Barry University has announced the launch of an esports program beginning this fall. The school is in the process of constructing an esports gaming room that will support the team, which will compete against other college/university esports teams. The space will also support individual students interested in gaming. Led by Director of Athletics Michael L. Covone, the Barry esports program will be a member of the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE). Games sponsored by NACE for esports include Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Hearthstone, League of Legends, Overwatch, Paladins, Rocket League, SMITE, and Starcraft II.
Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech) has announced the launch a varsity esports program, making it the first public university in the state to offer esports at the varsity level. Administered through the Michigan Tech Huskies Athletics Department, the program is already a member of NACE and a scholarship structure is in the works. According to Michigan Tech’s new esports website, gaming is an established part of the culture at the school. Adding esports as a varsity program is a natural fit. Esports align with the University’s goals and STEM initiatives to better prepare students for a future where technology causes rapid changes in the job market. It also provides the Athletics department with the ability to expand opportunities for student-athletes and connect with students who are not engaged in traditional sports. Read more info on eSports News.
What are esports? Esports (or electronic sports) are professional, organized video games competitions. In other words, professional gamers play videogames against one another competitively, often for large sums of money and prestige. These tournaments can range from small local matches to filling out stadiums of thousands. According to Newszoo’s 2018 Global Esports Market Report, the esports industry is estimated to be worth nearly one billion dollars within the next year – that’s a year-on-year increase of a whopping 38%. In addition, Newszoo estimates that by 2019, 427 million people worldwide will be watching esports (via ESPN).
If there is one team that has dominated their own particular esports discipline over the last two years, it could well be G2 Esports Rainbow Six squad. This five-man team have won a host of titles and they continue with their incredible run of success by landing the top prize at last week’s Six Invitational 2019 at the Place Bell in Montreal, Canada. Competing for a prize pool of $2,000,000 alongside 15 other teams, G2 Esports were already installed as the hot favourites to win the tournament leading into the event. And unlike many favourites before them, they justified those lofty expectations by putting together a superb series of performances to take home the $800,000 first prize. Visit: https://www.onlineesports.com/.