Wake Tech is adding a new sport, but this one’s not played in a typical outdoor field or indoor court. The college is leaping into the popular esports arena, becoming the first college or university in the Triangle and one of only a handful of institutions across the state to include esports as part of its intercollegiate athletics program.
“Esports will be a very popular addition to our athletic offerings at Wake Tech,” said Athletic Director Brian Anweiler. “Students are already competing in these popular games, and now they can play as Wake Tech Eagles to compete against students here in North Carolina and across the country.”
The college just unveiled its new state-of-the-art esports arena on the Southern Wake Campus. The 14-seat arena, powered by Lenovo’s top of the line desktop computers, will serve as a “home field” for this highly anticipated initiative. This high-tech facility is where our first-ever varsity gaming team will take center stage when the program launches in 2021.
Games being considered for Wake Tech’s esports program are Overwatch, League of Legends, and Rocket League. These are online, multi-player games in which teams of student-athletes will compete to defeat opponents from two and four-year colleges and universities.
So far, more than 50 students have expressed interest in being part of Wake Tech’s first esports team! Students must be enrolled full time, maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA, and make progress toward their degree to be eligible to participate.
With the addition of esports, Wake Tech will become one of very few colleges in the nation where gaming is a recognized intercollegiate sport and game development is an academic degree.
“Esports is a perfect fit for our college,” said Wake Tech President Dr. Scott Ralls. “In Wake County esports and game development are not just fun and games – they’re big business. Esports is a perfect complement to our Simulation and Game Development program, which is one of the best in the country.”
Wake Tech’s esports program will be affiliated with the National Junior College Athletic Association Esports (NJCAAE), which provides two-year colleges with governance, competition, and official national championships.
Wake Tech offers other athletic programs, including baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, soccer and golf, and many student athletes have gone on to play at four-year colleges and universities.
For more information, visit waketechsports.com.