As the world progresses, it seems that everything is starting to become digital, and the sports world is no stranger to this new advancement. Esports, which are professional video game competitions, have seen a meteoric rise in recent years.
The rise has been seen in all areas of the country and the world as video games globally have become a phenomenon for fans to watch.
Ohio University is included in those areas that have seen the rise of Esports, and it all started in 2017 when Jeff Khun had the idea for an Esports club and team to come to Ohio.
“I pitched this idea to the university back in late 2017, and then got the ball rolling, and the initiative going into 2018 to set it up,” Kuhn said. “After that, I was asked to step into the role of the director.”
The founder and now director of the Bobcat Esports club has grown his idea exponentially since it started in 2018. His knowledge and experience with video games, along with the growing Esports scene, were some of the reasons that Khun pitched his idea.
“I have a background in games and learning, so (I always valued) games and education,” Khun said. “In 2014, the first esports team at a university was developed over at Robert Morris University. And then within a four year time, we saw 300 universities started (Esports clubs).”
The growth has been huge not only within the state but also nationally, as 18 universities in Ohio currently have an Esports club or team on campus. Interest in competitive gaming stems from many sources, but Khun points to the increasing popularity of video games among younger people as a key reason.
“If you look at the demographic data of high school and middle school, more kids are playing games,” Khun said. “They're bringing that culture with them to campus, but we didn't see that culture necessarily represented. It was a thing of student engagement … and it’s recruiting for students coming in.”
That recruitment has obviously worked, as Ohio Esports has grown into a big deal on campus. There are over 1,300 students currently involved with Esports and more are on their way.
“We get about 10 new users a week starting to come in and check the place out,” Khun said. “We've seen the steady growth over the last two years now.”
The organization has also grown competitively, adding a varsity team for over six different video games. Those games include popular titles such as Rocket League, Overwatch, League of Legends and Valorant.
The Esports Arena, located in the basement of Scripps Hall, houses all of those games. The arena serves as a testament to how much the organization has grown despite facing challenges opening it during COVID-19.
“We got approval to build the place in 2019, and we broke ground in summer 2020; you can imagine that was a challenge,” Khun said. “We officially got the place open in September of 2022. Just growing it out from there has been a challenge.”
The arena is not just for competitive gaming and Ohio’s Esports teams as it is open for all OU students to use Tuesday through Friday. The arena is stocked with state-of-the-art computers and computer parts designed for quality gaming.
Esports are continuing to grow worldwide, and nothing signifies that growth like the International Olympic Committee hosting an Esports event in 2025 in Saudi Arabia. Although Esports and video games were already global, the IOC's inclusion will only grow the scene even more.
“Esports was just announced as an Olympic event. It’s hosted individually, but now we're seeing that widespread adoption, and I think it's just going to continue to grow,” Khun said. “Is it ever going to be bigger than basketball or football? No. But it's going to be something where you're seeing students develop out their love for a team and have their team that they root for.”
With the growth of collegiate Esports in particular increasing by the week at OU, expect more schools across the country to have Esports as a featured program.
