Esports is a profession and hobby that has been growing steadily over the past few years and features some pretty popular games.
An esport is a competition where several video game enthusiasts compete in heavily competitive tournaments with popular video games.
NIU Esports, founded in 2013, has four varsity teams total, one for each esport title played. Two teams practice and compete during the fall and spring semesters, respectively. They act as a part of the Esports Collegiate Conference, an independent esports conference made up of 14 universities.
Some popular esports titles played by NIU’s varsity teams include “League of Legends,” “Valorant,” “Rocket League” and “Overwatch 2,” all of which are available as part of NIU’s varsity teams throughout the fall and spring semester.
Eli Curry, the NIU esports community ambassador, described esports as a wholesome community where people can enjoy games.
“The ecosystem of competitive gaming that includes players, organizers and invested fans of the genre,” Curry said. “It is a game and its people’s commitment to playing it.”
Whether in a team format or one-on-one, esports have grown dramatically in both viewership and participant attendance, both at the collegiate level and further out onto the worldwide stage since its very inception. On a global scale, Statista predicts that in 2025, esports viewership enthusiasts will increase to 318 million worldwide.
Gamers come to enjoy and participate in esports because of the relatability and personal representation these games can bring. By bringing the game that many play for fun at home to the competitive stage, it gives those watching a taste of what lies beyond their casual interests and inspires the will to recreate what they’ve seen for themselves by participating.
Spectators can feel involved and engaged with these events because of the many elements they can latch onto, such as unique and interesting characters, their roles in their respective games and the spectacle of gameplay that can be shown off at a high level.
The connection between spectator and player can reach far beyond the players and teams that represent it and yet those directly involved with the games themselves have forged their own space in the public eye.
Many gamers find that esports flourishes further beyond solely the competitive aspect and creates its own identity among the esports community.
For students at NIU, they can choose to participate as part of the esports varsity teams or gather for the esports club events hosted 5 P.M every Friday in the Esports Arena in Altgeld Hall.
The esports club hosts gaming events throughout the semester that feature games such as “Mario Party” and “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.”
Students also host their own tournament series, Castle Siege, every Thursday at the Esports Arena involving “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate”. This tournament is free for students with their OneCard, as well as for non-students who need to be signed in by a competing student.
Wherever someone may find it, esports is competitive gaming at its peak, and it is driven by the strength and passion of its community.For those looking to watch and support NIU’s varsity teams compete as part of the Esports Collegiate Conference, they are streamed on the NIU Esports Twitch channel.
