Page 26 - Delaware Lawyer - Winter 2023

FEATURE | HERE TO STAY
to coast, have organized programs. The University of Delaware is currently com- peting against USC, Colorado, Tennes- see, William and Mary, and Villanova among many others. Since matches may be conducted without any travel, teams can play against anyone in the country or the world.
While playing remotely is an advantage from a cost perspective, esports leagues do often bring the best teams together in person for conference and national championships. Delaware’s Overwatch team traveled to the Electronic Gaming Federation National Championship event in Williamsburg in 2022 and will likely join the University’s Rocket League team in traveling to the Midwest for this year’s nationals in early May.
K-12 systems are also seeing the ap- peal of esports (and the benefit to their students) and are joining the fray. With growing numbers of programs from elementary school up through college, there seems to be a strong base for maintaining the long-term viability of esports. These programs will ultimate- ly provide the feeder system for col- leges and are generally being nurtured and advised by universities to help to strengthen the esports ecosystem.
Misconceptions about who partici- pates in esports are inaccurate. The typical esports participant is not an iso- lated person locked away in a bedroom or basement, fueling a middle-of-the- night gaming session with Red Bull and ramen. While that description may have had some relevance for gamers of decades past, today’s competitive gam- ers are highly collaborative, strategic, engaged, and work with teammates and coaches to reach common goals. The attributes that make a successful esports player or team are not terribly different from those that make a suc- cessful soccer player or football team. While the type of playfield they com- pete on is not the same, the factors that lead to success are remarkably similar.
As esports participants tend to excel in communication skills and the ability to analyze and strategize in real time while collaborating with others, the development of so-called “soft skills” through esports can lead to a more well-rounded, and more employable, individual.
Sponsoring organizations benefit from esports. Done properly, esports can be a tremendous recruiting tool or showpiece for an educational institu- tion, whether K-12 or collegiate. It is a way to differentiate your school from the competition. It also allows organi- zations to serve a subset of students that may not be connected to their school or feel a strong sense of belonging. Like traditional athletics, the ability to rep- resent the school in competition can be a powerful motivator and a source of pride for an individual.
At higher levels, organizations and individual participants can monetize their esports involvement, via prize money, scholarships, sponsorships or social media/streaming clicks. As in the case of N0tail, it is not uncommon for successful individual esports competi- tors and organizations to bring in rev- enue from a variety of different sources. Prize pools are not limited to profes- sional players. Collegiate players can win prize money as well.
Beyond the potential for monetiza- tion, individual participants can gain many non-financial benefits. For the career-minded person, there is a rich job ecosystem surrounding esports, obviously including game design, but also career paths rooted in marketing, broadcast, sports management, graphic design and even fashion merchandis- ing. As esports continues to explode
in growth, there are many traditional career paths that have started to bleed over into gaming.
As esports participants tend to excel in communication skills and the ability to analyze and strategize in real time while collaborating with others, the development of so-called “soft skills” through esports can lead to a more well-rounded, and more employable, individual. Being able to exhibit leader- ship skills, be proficient with technol- ogy, work under pressure and problem- solve with teammates are all highly de- sirable traits that will follow individuals far beyond the gaming screen.
Esports Programming at UD
While the Esports Arena at Univer- sity of Delaware has only been around for a few years, esports at UD actually began several years ago with dedicated students participating in one of two large gaming groups on campus. With over 1,000 students involved in those groups, it was very clear that there was a community on campus that had al- readyembracedandsupportedesports.
When the idea to create a formal- ized esports program arose at UD, we sought out those gaming groups for input and ultimately elevated several of their club teams to our new varsity level. Those clubs still serve as feed- ers to our program and are frequent users of the state-of-the-art facility in
24 DELAWARE LAWYER WINTER 2023