Marquette First Major Conference School to Add Varsity Esports

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

I don't think it's a generational thing. As I (mistakenly) put in the nm thread, my parents played way more video games than I did at comparable ages.

My dad has some NHL 93 and Techmo Bowl stories for the ages.

[MUEng92]

I don't think it's a generational thing. As I (mistakenly) put in the nm thread, my parents played way more video games than I did at comparable ages.

My dad has some NHL 93 and Techmo Bowl stories for the ages.

Wait. Your Dad played NHL 93?  How old are you?

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Wait. Your Dad played NHL 93?  How old are you?

I'm 25

But that's kinda my point. My parents played video games through when I was born. It's not so much "Ohhh the millennials" but rather something that may seem a little bit niche but is actually stupidly popular.

[Bocephys]

Before someone blames this on millennials let's remember this is the generation after us.

Millennials tried to make Quidditch a thing, let's not throw stones...

[forgetful]

Really smart. Stupid amount of money in esports.

Wonder if this means we will be the "blue blood" of esports.

If MU is smart they would start making an MU esports Youtube channel.

[Cheeks]

Not exactly my cup of tea, but kudos to Marquette for getting ahead of the curve on this. Esports will be a big thing in the NCAA in short order.

https://gomarquette.com/news/2019/1/22/marquette-is-first-major-division-i-institution-to-add-varsity-esports.aspx

Utah did this in 2017.  Not sure how MU is more major than Utah which is a P5 school

https://unews.utah.edu/university-of-utah-unveils-roster-for-first-varsity-esports-team/

[MUBigDance]

You know what's a good competitive game of sorts is robotics teams. My son (bragging starts) was on high school team that went to international finals.great experience. I don't see it as a sport but certainly worthy of college endorsement.

But no, video games...

[warriorchick]

Glow was a beast at Double Dribble.

And I was quite the Duck Hunter back in the day.

[mu_hilltopper]

But, but I thought you invited me to ice skate on your lawn!

Indeed!  Just flooded it with Lake Michigan's finest, too.

[Cheeks]

Do they have Space Invaders?

Missile Command, Asteroids, Tempest, Centipede, Dig Dug and Defender

[GooooMarquette]

Utah did this in 2017.  Not sure how MU is more major than Utah which is a P5 school

https://unews.utah.edu/university-of-utah-unveils-roster-for-first-varsity-esports-team/

If there are only five power conferences, the Pac-12 isn't one of them.

[Benny B]

Question is how many seats in the on-campus arena are we gonna need?

Damn.  Gonna have to double the size of the Thunderdome now. 

[oldwarrior81]

from this espn list there are quite a few varsity esports teams. 
Not all D1, but there were a few on the list.

http://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/21152905/college-esports-list-varsity-esports-programs-north-america

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

[#UnleashSean]

OK, it has all the trappings of a sport...team of students...skill rather than chance...competition..interest...stat potential...potential entertainment value to a fan base with income thereof...but is it a sport?? Its more like a chess team...is that NCAA?. Is this really a sport if the only physical acuity is thumb/eye coordination? I'm ok with bowling but I don't know about this stuff.

someone convince me.

Oh they are. I used to be a fairly decent professional gamer for counter-strike. I can tell you I've played in state championships where I had more energy in the 4th quarter then I did at the end of a cs tournament. It's much more than just thumb/eye coordination. Reaction time, discipline, communication, and constantly stressing your brain are just some of the things. If you ever watch a game you will notice 90% of the people playing are very fit athletes. Now they may not be 6'9 and dressing for the Bulls, but most are indeed athletes.

[Its DJOver]

How recent is this.  Asking because 6 other Beast schools competed with us earlier this week in a LOL tournament.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS6UUEAsy_o

[#UnleashSean]

How recent is this.  Asking because 6 other Beast schools competed with us earlier this week in a LOL tournament.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS6UUEAsy_o

I'm not sure if the ESL Collegiate teams were in any official capacity with their schools. From when I helped organize some things for these leagues no teams had any official backing. That could easily have changed though.


Theres a lot of cans of worms to work on with esports/college however. Im also curious to know what rank/level of skill these tournaments usually are now. Do these teams have any players competing in worlds? Or are most run of the mill diamond/plat?

[JakeBarnes]

I'm not sure if the ESL Collegiate teams were in any official capacity with their schools. From when I helped organize some things for these leagues no teams had any official backing. That could easily have changed though.


Theres a lot of cans of worms to work on with esports/college however. Im also curious to know what rank/level of skill these tournaments usually are now. Do these teams have any players competing in worlds? Or are most run of the mill diamond/plat?

I imagine the latter looking for exposure.

[Its DJOver]

I'm not sure if the ESL Collegiate teams were in any official capacity with their schools. From when I helped organize some things for these leagues no teams had any official backing. That could easily have changed though.

I don't know enough about the topic to agree or disagree, but if it was posted by the official Big East YouTube Channel, I would guess there's some sort of higher organizational structure.  Although, there were also only 7 schools competing so...

[WarriorFan]

My beef is with the name.  These are not sports.  They are games, they are competitions, etc... but they are not sports.

What else is not a sport:
- anything you can do while holding a beer
- anything where the horse/dog/bull/other animal does most of the work
- anything that simulates a real sport

[Class71]

Before someone blames this on millennials let's remember this is the generation after us.

No one to blame just an unfortunate trend. Yes, millions are made but ...

[SaveOD238]

For all of you bashing e-sports let me share a story about my students.  I catch my students (mostly middle school) watching videos of other people playing video games ALL THE TIME.  A few years ago it was Minecraft.  Now it's usually Fortnite.  I finally asked one "how is it fun to watch other people play video games?". His response:

"Dont you watch other people play basketball?"

E-sports is the entertainment of their generation.  There is a ton of money to be made in competitive e-sports.

[Slim]

I can't wait for Mucasterscoop so I can say things like:

That guy just played a Wisp and a Grimscale Oracle on turn one, what a Dennis!"

[ZiggysFryBoy]

For all of you bashing e-sports let me share a story about my students.  I catch my students (mostly middle school) watching videos of other people playing video games ALL THE TIME.  A few years ago it was Minecraft.  Now it's usually Fortnite.  I finally asked one "how is it fun to watch other people play video games?". His response:

"Dont you watch other people play basketball?"

E-sports is the entertainment of their generation.  There is a ton of money to be made in competitive e-sports.

ALL THE DAMN TIME.

On a positive,  this might be the only way my kids could get into MU.  Full ride for esports? Hell-o.

[Cheeks]

If there are only five power conferences, the Pac-12 isn't one of them.

Well, they might not act like one but they are.

Not sure how our press release got that wrong.