By Clint Hammack
A new esports program may come to Peninsula Col- lege as early as Spring, 2019. This would be new terri- tory for the college and could provide incentive for new students to enroll at PC.
Competitive video gaming is already becoming a common part of academia for universities and two-year institutions across the nation.
Centralia College became the first two-year institu- tion in Washington to implement a competitive gaming team last year, and Umpqua Community College fol- lowed shortly after with its new club, Umpqua Univer- sity League of Legends.
Plans have been made to visit these institutions this spring to observe a competition and see how esports are done on a university level.
Staff attending the competition include Jack Huls, vice president of student services and Rick Ross, associ- ate dean of athletics & student programs.
Ross said if the program succeeds, PC could set up a new esports audience arena and provide contestants with scholarships, athletic uniforms and third-party sponsorships.
“Students come to college for the programs they of- fer,” Huls said. “If an esports program is the deciding factor in where a student decides to attend college, then that is something we must consider.”
As of now, the two games PC would compete in are Overwatch and League of Legends. Although, Huls mentioned that other games could be introduced if given enough support.
Overwatch is a competitive, team-based shooter and League of Legends is a team-based massive online bat- tle arena.
Competitions will be streamed for audience members
to tune in online through streaming platforms like Twitch and Ustream.
PC is partnered with Northwest Athletic Con- ference (NWAC). NWAC provides athletic ad- ministrative responsibilities for community col- leges such as tournament management and rule enforcement. PC and NWAC are currently explor- ing how esports fit inside the community college infrastructure.
One major consideration for both organiza- tions is the technology required. Current genera- tion video games require demanding software and bandwidth connection.
“We are currently exploring the best options for a fast, efficient and safe connection needed for competitive gaming. Our task is to look into a wired fiber connection, special gaming units and accessories,” said Emma Janssen, web manager at PC.
According to Ross, there are three steps that need to be taken towards finalizing an esports team:
The first step involves the I.T. department find- ing a way to install games on campus computers in a way that doesn’t interfere with school fire- walls and security.
The second step is visiting other campus’ to see how other institutions have implemented the pro- gram and watch a live competitive tournament.
And finally, once the school establishes it can provide the necessary bandwidth and technology, it needs to choose a venue. This would include seating, as well as high-powered gaming comput- ers, which could also be used in a classroom.
Once these steps have been taken PC could start recruitment for teams and start planning tour- naments with other colleges.