Colleges Adding Women’s eSports Division This Fall

Within the last month, a new esports division was launched that plans to alter the newly competitive gaming landscape in college athletics.

The new esports league, *gameHERS Collegiate Division, will provide a “safe, inclusive online community” for women, according to an article on UniversityBusiness.com.

Since its inception in 2020 by four women, *gameHERS is being supported by education programs as well as partners that include Lenovo Esports, Stay Plugged In (SPIN), scholarship platform eFuse, and Evil Geniuses’ Genius League.

“We are thrilled to expand the *gameHERs mission into the collegiate space by creating an intentional division on campuses throughout the U.S,” said Rebecca Dixon, co-founder, and chief marketing officer of the*gameHERs. “Since our inception in March 2020, we’ve been working hard to appeal to college students, so this is a huge milestone in our business.”

One of the esports programs signing on this fall is DePaul University, which has gotten off the ground quickly with Big East Championships and is backed by a stellar game design program, UniversityBusiness.com reported.

“DePaul University is excited for the opportunity to partner with the *gameHERs as we continue to grow and develop our esports program,” said Courtney James, Director of Student Involvement. “The *gameHERs mission to amplify and center the voices of women, femme-identifying gamers, and non-binary gamers mirrors the goals of DePaul’s esports program so we are excited to collaborate as we both work to create a more inclusive community for all gamers.”

Fortnite champs crowned: A team from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) won the Gaming Community Network’s Collegiate Esports Invitational by beating Cal State Fullerton to earn the $5,000 first prize plus several gaming-related accessories. Representing respective conferences, the America East team captured the title over the Big West squad in the 10-conference pool. The event had more than 650,000 live views on Twitch and was carried live on more than 85 websites. Drexel University topped Santa Clara University to place third.

Esports bytes: Florida Southern College has added 30 new gaming stations plus seating for console players as it has expanded out its Snake Pit arena with many movable pieces. The goal of the renovation was to provide more space for casual gamers rather than its Mocs Esports team. In addition, Florida Southern is backing esports with academic offerings. “We recently announced that the Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise will introduce an undergraduate minor and a Master of Business Education (MBA) concentration related to competitive gaming,” said says Dr. Anne Kerr, president of Florida Southern. “So, this new gaming area is a perfect addition to the educational and job opportunities for our scholars.” … SUNY Jamestown Community College says it will field both an NJCAA Esports team and club team for 2021-22 that will be eligible for students on all their campuses. It also has a steering committee that is exploring a potential esports management degree program.

To read the full article from UniversityBusiness.com on the expansion of esports within the college athletics world, click here.