The world of E-Sports continues to grow on college campuses across the United States, and researchers at the University of Oregon are using their new E-Sports and Games Research Lab to look at how E-Sports fit on college campuses.
There’s been a growing focus on video games and E-Sports at the UO School of Journalism and Communication. Researchers like Amanda Cote, Assistant Professor of Media and Game Studies at UO, say that while we may not think of games as traditional media, they are becoming increasingly influential in our society. In the university’s new E-Sports and Games Research Lab, researchers are asking critical questions about what games mean and how E-Sports can fit on college campuses. Researchers say the implementation of E-Sports onto college campuses has been uneven and uncertain because each college varies in how much they invest into scholarships and facilities.
“it’s hard to overstate how important games are when connecting with one another. At the university, for example, when a lot of our students had to go home, stay with family, games were a way that a lot of our students could connect,” said Professor Cotes. “For instance, the university has a varsity E-Sports team and they were able to continue playing and competing from home.”
The school is also introducing a new Game Studies minor in fall 2023. The classes will assess what games mean in the modern world. Dozens of students are already involved, and they hope that when the new class launches, they’ll have interest from hundreds of students. Even though they’re still in the early stages, professors are already looking to add on to the program.