The University of North Alabama will be the home of the spring 2024 statewide Esports competition. This event will bring in high school students and coaches across Alabama.
Electronic sports is a form of video game competition that requires critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration. Players across the country are changing what it means to be a student-athlete since Esports have become a sanctioned high school sport.
It’s a co-ed, all-inclusive environment that goes beyond traditional sports. Any electronic sport that’s played on a console or PC would be considered an Esport.
Just like any other extracurricular activity or sport, a student will need to attend meetings, practices and official matches. The main difference from regular sports and Esports is the lack of travel throughout regular season. All players need to do is compete from their campus with supervision from a coach.
Mark Linder is the Esports faculty advisor at the University of North Alabama. He said Esports has evolved with the growth of technology.
“We have individuals that play competition on certain titles of games worldwide. It has become a phenomena that has captured the attention of our young people and is starting to grow in popularity, even in the commercial realm,” Linder said. “We have these organizations that are building 15 to 20,000 seat facilities just for Esport play. You have teams that are known worldwide competing for millions of dollars.”
It all starts with a third party called PlayVS that organizes competitions within the country. Within the partnered states, students can earn a varsity letter and compete for a state championship in “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate,” “Rocket League” and “League of Legends”. Like any other sport, students must also maintain eligibility through grades and attendance in order to participate.
“Different teams within different titles can play one another throughout the course of the semester. Then, they would come up with a playoff that is all online. And then, the final two that remain within that playoff system come to campus to compete for the state championship,” Linder explained.
The University of North Alabama will host the statewide Esports competition next April at the Guillot University Center. There will be an arena inside and some auxiliary spaces for practices and other competitions. The prizes for each competition depend on what level and tournament a team is competing. Ticket information for the competition will be released later.
Linder said he believes Esports and college courses can go hand in hand.
“When we started looking at the millions and millions of dollars that investors are putting into developing the games, to build them facilities, to running events… all [of] those are skills that we teach within the university settings,” Linder said. “We just launched a concentration in Esports, as far as an academic program, within sports and rec management … and we're trying to prepare our students to make sure they're able to step into those employment roles to further the Esports landscape, not only in the state, but hopefully, globally.”
Esports is evolving as the years continue. One of the key things Linder emphasizes is never letting age deter interest in Esports.
“Don't let age stop you. I'm a little bit older. And I tell you what, I have been tremendously impressed by our students. They have a passion for Esports,” he said. “This segment of young people can be marginalized a little bit, and I think by getting involved with them in their world and their space, it allows you to build relationships and help young people develop their skill sets,” Linder continued.
UNA’s Esports program has more than one hundred active students, and the school continuously hosts tournaments. UNA is also in the process of creating an Esports academic program that would potentially provide a pathway for employment post-graduation. It could launch as early as Spring 2025.
