If you’re grinding to prepare for the next battle royale, or just challenging bots in your spare time, there is a collegiate competitive gaming team looking for you. Northwood University has announced it will offer esports, competitive video gaming, starting in fall 2019. Northwood is one of four universities in Michigan to develop an esports program in conjunction with the National Association of Collegiate Esports.
“For several months, we have been exploring this emerging sport and the viability of building a team at our university,” said Keith Pretty, President and Chief Executive Officer at Northwood University. “We are confident esports will appeal to our students as an extracurricular option, and are excited to be among the first universities in Michigan to offer this opportunity to our students.”
Scholarships are available to students for fall 2019, and students can earn up to $3,000 towards a position on Northwood’s esports team. Similar to a varsity sport, students on the team must meet initial academic eligibility requirements and maintain good academic standing to compete. Games used in competition include popular titles such as Overwatch, Hearthstone, Fortnite and League of Legends.
Many of Northwood’s more than 20 business concentrations, such as management information systems, operations and supply chain management, and entertainment, sport promotion management, include aspects of gaming, data and analytics.
“We are excited to offer this emerging sport to Northwood students from all majors,” said Andy Cripe, Northwood’s Dean of Student Affairs. “We see the value in creating a team that helps our students develop communication skills, highlights teamwork, and fosters safe and healthy competition.”
Northwood is renovating a 2,000 square foot gaming center on the university’s campus to create a state-of-the-art gaming environment for the new team.
The university is accepting applications for an esports head coach position. To learn more about Northwood University, visit www.northwood.edu.
