Page 30 - Campus Technology, January/February 2019

:: eSPORTS
RETHINKING HOW TECHNOLOGY IS USED IN EDUCATION
Your Winning Strategy:
Esports Program
Development
To help your campus find its place in esports, start with a simple plan that covers space and gear.
MOVING TO THE CLOUD is looking to dip a toe into esports, the student association is a great place to start, according to Rex Stover, gaming product manager for Lenovo. As he pointed out, you know your students are already playing video games on their own, and the campus may have esports clubs in place, making for a rich pool of source material from which to grow something more substantial. His suggestion: Start by providing some space and gear for weekly meet-ups.
Next, faculty and staff members who are drawn to these activities can offer a candidate pool for more ambitious efforts. For example, Columbia College in Missouri, one of the early entrants into esports at the institutional level, turned to a member of its own IT organization to hire
its first esports coach. Duong Pham, part of the recruiting committee seeking a coach (and a master’s graduate of the college), emerged as the top candidate by proving his organizational skills on the day job and showing cred with League of Legends, where he was well-ranked in North America. Matt Meininger, a computer support specialist at Columbia and another long-time
PRODUCED BY: SPONSORED BY:
rangizzz/Shutterstock