Campus News

The University announced in June that competitive eSports would be added to its growing list of student activities, clubs, and NCAA sports. Excitement about the addition of eSports immediately followed the announcement. Play will take place in the new state-of-the-art eSports arena located in the Burpee Student Center. The arena features 16 new gaming PCs completely powered by MSI with easy access for any RU student to jump in and play a few games.

Why eSports? Vice President for Student Life, Dr. Randy Worden says, “Competitive eSports gaming is growing exponentially in our region and across the country. Many area high-schools have teams and the local school district is considering the creation of a joint gaming center where their students can train and compete. Prospective and current students have shown substantial interest in being able to compete at the collegiate level. We’re incredibly excited to add eSports to our campus and provide yet another way for students to have access to diverse opportunities that enhance their overall collegiate experience.”

Rockford University plans to establish and maintain collegiate level competitive teams across a variety of games and will initially compete in the CS Starleague, considered the premier platform for collegiate level League of Legends competition. As the program continues to take shape and evolve, Rockford University is committed to developing additional teams for other competitive eSports (i.e. Rocket League, Overwatch, Counter-Strike). Teams and players at Rockford University will have the opportunity to stream gameplay, compete inter-collegiately, and play against athletes from across the world, all under the official banner of the Rockford University eSports team. 

The eSports program at Rockford University will offer students several real-world advantages. In addition to competitive gaming, students will have opportunities to gain experience in graphic and media design, social media branding and marketing, event planning and management, and communications and broadcasting.

All eSports team members will have numerous opportunities to engage within the greater campus community in important ways that will be an asset to their futures. eSports Coordinator and Graduate Assistant Hall Director Clay Duffy ’17 adds, “While some people may think of eSports as only consisting of competitive video gaming, there is virtually limitless potential for students and athletes  to learn new skills, make new friends, and express themselves in creative ways that ultimately heighten their educational experience.”

To follow the first season of Regents eSports action on Twitter, go to @Regents_eSports.