Particularly in the US, college students constitute a large chunk of gamers. But gone are the days when student gamers could only enjoy their games in the dormitory. The ever-rising demand for eSports entertainment has made universities adopt it as collegiate sports
Hence, many US colleges today have adapted eSports to their curriculum. Some schools actively provide eSport-only programs and degrees. Others recruit gamers – pursuing another academic degree – to their eSports teams. Such eSport study can be complemented with a traditional major in IT, video game production, business management, or visual arts.
For the latter set of people, gaming might be an unwelcome distraction to the main academic program. As such, you can get a ‘write my assignments help’ online for every type of paper, including quality case studies, opinion pieces, or any other assignment. You’d also have to balance your gaming-studying schedule.
Regardless, here’s our top pick for the universities that offer the best eSports programs.
Maryville is the top North American university that offers eSports programs. Since starting its eSport program in 2015, Maryville university has had repeated success at the eSport competition stage.
The university is a three-time League of Legends national champion after coming first in 2016, 2017, and 2019. They’ve also participated in other eSports, including Cheez, Overwatch, CLoL, Hearthstone, and Rocket League.
Fair enough, the reasons for Maryville university’s success aren’t far-fetched. They facilitate a competitive community club for student gamers. They also have a state-of-the-art eSport facility with gaming PCs, chairs and headsets, fast internet connection, eSport coaching staff, dining, and a lounge, where you can work on your opinion essay or other assignments in comfort.
Maryville university is situated in St Louis and enrolls 6000 plus students. While its average tuition fee is $24,766 annually, the school offers $2000 for eSport participants. For northern eSport hopefuls in the US, Maryville University is our absolute pick.
Launching in the fall of 2018, the University of Akron kickstarted its eSport program late. But since then, it has been at the forefront of eSports learning, owing to its quality facilities and success in gaming competitions.
The University of Akron provides three exclusive gaming facilities spanning over 1222 square feet. This includes an arena for varsity teams and recreational teams. Each hall contains 24 PC stations and several console stations. The third gaming facility – showcasing venue – allows students to watch varsity game competitions.
Unlike many other schools, the school offers a wide range of games. Its seven varsity-level teams include experts at Fortnite, Rainbow 6 Siege, Rocket League, Overwatch, LoL, and Hearthstone, amongst others. With Akron Zips representing the schools, it won lots of eSport medals in 2021, including
- Winners at the LevelNext Rocket League Showcase
- Winners at the R6 Collegiate grand finals
- Winners at the CRL Spring Championship
- Runners up at Collegiate Hearthstone competition.
For budding eSports learners, the University of Akron is an exciting pick. You’d have access to early classes, a practice arena, tutoring, assignments help, group study, a $1000 eSport scholarship, and exciting competitions. The college offers one of the most robust eSports programs in the US and beyond.
Located in Idaho, BSU started its eSports program in 2017. They offer eSports programs, including Overwatch, Hearthstone, Madden, League of Legends, Heroes of the Storm, Valorant and Rocket League.
Maintenance of eSports at BSU rests with the Department of Educational Technology. Its facilities include a dedicated gaming arena, two-tiered staging, broadcast arena, graphics and sound mixing area, and a 60-seat eSport arena for spectators. They also broadcast gaming events live on their twitch channel.
BSU gaming teams include 10 to 16 players. The school takes tryouts twice per year, with each spanning a week. However, students with a CGPA below 3.0 can’t partake in games.
BSU offers robust programs for both varsity and high school eSports. Although they only compete at the varsity level. The university provided $98,000 as scholarship grants in 2020 for eSport players. It also hosts a summer program for high-school students, which usually spans a week. The program introduces these students to collegiate athletes and eSports.
RMU was the pioneer school to offer eSports programs as extracurricular activities. The Chicago school also first started offering eSport students scholarships. RMU has student gamers in League of Legends, Overwatch, and DOTA 2. Notably, its League of Legends team had won numerous collegiate tournaments, sponsors, and scholarships.
RMU offers different gaming-related programs, including visual arts, media, sport management, etc. Hence, students studying these courses can easily pair their course of study with gaming.
Being a not-for-profit university, RMU is the center stage of different sponsorships. These sponsors provided a quality eSports training arena with 20+ gaming PCs, keyboards and mice, and gaming chairs, amongst other facilities. The school also has a dedicated coaching staff for gaming.
Starting in 2015, UCI is the pioneer public university to offer eSport extracurricular programs. Its programs primarily include League of Legends and Overwatch.
UCI has one of the most desirable sporting facilities around. Its eSport arena has 72 plus gaming PCs with keyboards, headsets, and mice. It also has a large console gaming area, competition area, and broadcast station. With available gaming facilities, 72% of UCI students play video games.
Tutoring and scholarship offers are what make UCI an exciting option. The school offers $5610 and $2500 to LoL and overwatch players, respectively. It also provides an Overwatch Bootcamp and Girls in gaming Summer Camp, amongst other programs.
Other Top Universities Offering eSport Programs
University of California, Berkeley: It offers a 54-gaming package sponsored by NVIDIA. It also has a live streaming and broadcast station.
Illinois Wesleyan University: Their gaming arena comprises 17 Alienware gaming computers, vertagear chairs for comfort, and a live viewing center to watch competitions.
University of Utah: Its facilities include 20 gaming stations, PCs, headsets, and keyboards.
Balancing Your Gaming with Study
DOTA 2, League of Legends, and Overwatch are immersive games that could take your time. While enjoying games from a school-provided facility, you won’t like to lag in class activities.
You may begin to ask; how do I do my assignments? How can I have enough time to study? With these tips, you can maintain a balanced study-gaming schedule
- Delegate tasks: You can get ‘make my assignment help online for your homework
- Schedule your week ahead of time
- Create a study-only workplace where you won’t be distracted by gaming
- Study with games
- Find a study habit that suits you.
Conclusion
If you’re an active gamer, you can take your skill to the next level by applying for varsity eSports programs. Varsity gaming helps you improve your social circle, boost your mental health and enjoy new academic and career opportunities.
