Leveling Up Campus Life: The Rise of Collegiate Esports Facilities

As esports continues to expand, its presence in collegiate settings changes as well, especially when it comes to facilities. According to Esports Foundry’s 2023 Trends in Collegiate Esports Report, 92% of esports programs in North America now have dedicated facilities.

The report highlights, “One of the distinguishing aspects of a collegiate esports program over a collegiate esports club or student organization is the investment by administration officials into a physical space on campus for students and program members.”

As esports becomes more prevalent, more and more institutions have facilities, are currently building them, or at least planning for them. It’s starting to feel like having a dedicated esports facility is becoming a must.

However, it's important to consider the different demographics of schools with esports programs. Some institutions may struggle with resources like administration support, funding, or student participation. So, while many schools do have esports facilities, they really do vary across the board. We see this displayed in the report by size, amount of PCs, number of consoles, access to more than one room, etc.

The report states: “From our findings [the lack of large facilities] is partially due to many early adopters being small to medium sized schools with more limited funding… The two most cited responses were as expected: Lack of funding and lack of available space. The third response was a lack of a champion or key supporter.”

Esports Foundry recommends that new facilities be built as large as possible to accommodate future growth. The organization also assists schools and other entities in creating these facilities.

The report further states: “Esports facilities have the potential to be extremely flexible and multi-use spaces. From providing a home for practice and competition, to a nexus for club and general student activities, to academic integrations, and even inclusion of college and university departmental uses. Esports facilities can provide a range of uses and solutions that very few tech-centric spaces on campus can match.”

In recent years, Esports Foundry completed a build for Pace University, which took about six months. At the time, the program had around 700 students, with about 100 actively participating in competitions. Their work at Pace included integrating top-tier gaming rigs with the latest hardware and peripherals, establishing professional-grade streaming facilities, creating a big enough arena for intercollegiate tournaments and community events, providing study areas to support the balance between gaming and classes, and more.

“This is really great for people who may not have the best equipment at home, allowing them to come in and perform well,” said a Pace student.

This highlights just how important dedicated esports facilities are. As we close out 2024, we will conduct a new trends report to highlight the changes that have occurred over the past year. We encourage you to participate in the upcoming survey to make your voice heard.

Learn more about how Esports Foundry can grow your esports programs with customized center builds by scheduling a consultation.