Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

UC Irvine To Launch Official eSports Initiative is Fall

01/04/2016

UC Irvine is launching an official eSports initiative this fall, the first of its kind at a public research university. A state-of-the-art arena equipped with high-end gaming PCs, a stage for League of Legends competitions, and a live webcasting studio will be constructed at the Student Center, and as many as 10 academic scholarships will be offered to students on the team.

UCI eSports will be built on four pillars: competition, academics, entertainment and community, says Thomas Parham, vice chancellor for student affairs. We hope to attract the best gamers from around the world, and our academic programs in computer gaming science, digital arts, computer science, engineering, anthropology, law, medicine, neuroscience, and behavior create a strong foundation for research and inquiry related to gaming.

The gaming center will also give non-team students a chance to participate in fun leisure activities on campus while balancing academic and research endeavors, he adds.

Most commonly, e-sports take the form of organized multiplayer video game competitions. Live-streaming of such matches draws millions of viewers worldwide.

UCI is home to a dedicated gaming community. A recent survey of students found that 72 percent identify as gamers and 89 percent support the creation of an e-sports team. College Magazine ranked UCI the No. 1 school for gamers in 2015. The Association of Gamers boasts the highest membership of any student club on campus, and the computer game science major in the Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences is the largest in the country.

In addition, UCI's Institute for Virtual Environments & Computer Games facilitates multidisciplinary research projects in the fields of anthropology, art, computer science, engineering, history, medicine, psychology, science, and technology.

It has been a dream for many of us on campus that UCI recognize the importance of eSports and create a space and a program that cater to the large community of gamers at the university, says Jesse Wang, president of The Association of Gamers. The eSports team and the arena will ensure that UCI continues to be a leader and trendsetter in collegiate e-sports.

Los Angeles-based Riot Games - the studio behind League of Legends - has pledged its support for the eSports initiative and will work with UCI to offer a premium League of Legends gaming experience.

The UCI community is one of over 300 student-run gaming clubs we currently support, says Ramon Hermann, head of the collegiate program at Riot Games. We're honored to work with UCI to create a permanent home for gamers on campus and hope this will inspire similar programs at colleges and universities across North America.

Custom gaming computer maker iBuyPower is equipping the 3,500-square-foot eSports arena with 80 of its high-end gaming PCs loaded with the most popular video game titles. Also available for classes and research projects, the Student Center space will be a major hub for social and competitive gaming in Southern California. UCI's League of Legends team will compete in next year's collegiate tournaments.

UCI has one of the top competitive gaming clubs in the nation and deserves top-of-the-line equipment, says Darren Su, VP of iBuyPower. Through this partnership, we can not only ensure that players have the tools necessary to play their best, but also allow students to be their best through scholarship and research opportunities. Our dream is that one day e-sports will be a tool for students across the country to achieve their professional, academic and personal success. Partnering with UCI is a huge step toward making that dream a reality.
LINK: http://www.sportsvideo.org/2016/04/01/uc-irvine-to-launch-official-esp...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

27/08/2026

Federal Appeals Court Blocks Some FCC Political Ad Discount Rules

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/08/2026

Zixi To Demo Hybrid Workflows At IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/08/2026

Study: Americans Spend More Time Watching YouTube Than Live TV

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/08/2026

Magewell To Highlight Newly Released Director Plus At IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/08/2026

PlayBox Neo continues to shape the media landscape by ini...

PlayBox Neo Stand 7.C29 IBC2026 - 11 14 September Well-established global specialists in media playout, automation, and streaming solutions, PlayBox Neo ...

27/08/2026

Rise Academy Invites the Industry to Join Race 4 The Futu...

Rise Academy, the broadcast and media skills charity dedicated to delivering practical media technology learning experiences, careers resources and work experie...

27/08/2026

Mediagenix Takes Title Management Beyond the Catalog at I...

Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, will showcase the latest evolution of its ...

27/08/2026

Screen Australia opens applications for Global Fellowships Program

Screen Australia opens applications for Global Fellowships Program 27 August 2026 Applications are now open for the Screen Australia Global Fellowships progra...

26/08/2026

New Validation Booster FAQ: What applicants need to know

Applicants interested in the Media Innovation Europe 3.0 Validation Booster call can now consult a new FAQ document addressing practical questions raised during...

26/08/2026

NWSL Moves Sunday Night Package to Roku, Expands Slate to 25 Matches in 2027

Roku Sports Channel will stream eight matches free beginning Aug. 30 as league shifts Sunday-night games away from Victory+...

26/08/2026

Inside Mountain Media Center's Hybrid-Cloud Architecture for Live Event Production

Evertz and Mobile TV Group detail how on-premises infrastructure and cloud resou...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Sennheiser Group to Showcase Broadcast Audio Portfolio

The Sennheiser Group will demonstrate its broadcast audio portfolio at IBC2026 (Hall 8, Booth D50), covering wireless microphone workflows, studio monitoring, a...

26/08/2026

Appear and TVTEL Deploy X20 Platform for Centralized VAR Signal Transport in Chile

Appear and Transmisiones Televisivas TVTEL Limitada have announced the deploymen...

26/08/2026

Minitech Adds Leader LPX500 and LT4670 to Rental Inventory

Leader Electronics has announced that Danish broadcast rental company Minitech has purchased a Leader LPX500 hybrid IP/SDI waveform monitor and LT4670 sync puls...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Encompass to Showcase Cloud Media Services

Encompass will demonstrate its Altitude media services at IBC2026 (IAMT Hub, Diamond Lounge, Hall 3, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14). Key products on show incl...

26/08/2026

Massillon Washington High School First to Implement Daktronics Camino Platform

Daktronics has partnered with Massillon Washington High School in Ohio to install a new LED video display and implement the Daktronics Camino show control platf...

26/08/2026

Clear-Com Appoints Venuetech as Middle East Partner

Clear-Com has appointed Dubai-based Venuetech LLC as its main partner for the Middle East. Venuetech distributes professional audiovisual solutions across the r...

26/08/2026

NBC Sports NOW Debuts Two New Shows Beginning August 31

NBC Sports NOW, NBC Sports' free 24/7 streaming channel, will launch a new weekday lineup beginning Monday, August 31, including two new shows. Not So Fast...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Calrec to Preview ImPulseV and Argo Updates

Calrec will demonstrate updates to its ImPulseV DSP software and Argo ecosystem at IBC2026 (Stand 8.C47), including previews aligned with the EBU's Dynamic ...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Imagine Communications to Showcase AI Capabilities

Imagine Communications will demonstrate AI applications across its ad tech and video infrastructure portfolios at IBC2026 (Stand 1.B73, RAI Amsterdam, September...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Dalet to Showcase AI and Workflow Automation

Dalet will demonstrate updates to Dalet Flex, Dalet Pyramid, and Dalia, its agentic AI platform, at IBC2026 (Hall 7, Stand 7.A43). The company will also partici...

26/08/2026

Nashville Predators Tap ViewLift for New DTC Service, Pairing Streaming With Scripps Sports Broadcast Deal

Team-owned platform will stream every locally carried Predators game beginning t...

26/08/2026

Little League Baseball World Series 2026: ESPN Restores RailCam Coverage at Lamade Stadium, Upscales Cameras at Volunteer Stadium

The 12-day tournament receives the broadcaster's full onsite-studio presence...

26/08/2026

SOMA Laboratory launch the Enigma

A synth with no controls? If you're into weird and wonderful instruments, then you may already be familiar with Warsaw-based SOMA Laboratory - if you...

26/08/2026

Dreamtonics unveil Instrument X

Physical modelling orchestral instrument announced Following their recent cryptic hints, Dreamtonics have officially revealed the latest addition to their s...

26/08/2026

Bertram Brossardt visits SGL Carbon in Meitingen

Discussions at the Meitingen site on competitiveness, energy supply, and fuel cell technology Bertram Brossardt, CEO of the Bavarian metal and electrical emplo...

26/08/2026

Rohde & Schwarz USA celebrates grand opening of new manufacturing center in Frederick, Maryland

Rohde & Schwarz USA celebrates grand opening of new manufacturing center in Fred...

26/08/2026

Designing Agentic Media Workflows Humans Can Trust

For large media companies, the content archive is a gold mine. There are thousands of hours of existing, high-value assets just waiting to be tapped for highlig...

26/08/2026

Major Live Sports Events Bolster Broadcast in Nielsen's Q2 2026 Ad Supported Gauge

Ad Supported Viewing Represents 71.5% of TV in Q2 Streaming Captures Over 48% o...

26/08/2026

DAZN Accelerates U.S. Expansion with Acquisition of EverPass Media

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

Truthset Brings Data Rated Audiences to FreeWheel

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

Broadpeak Targets CTV Shopping with Click2Cart Launch

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

SMPTE Announces 2026 Honorees

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

MediaKind Beam selected by CNBC UK for cloud-connected li...

MediaKind today announced that CNBC UK has selected Beam to modernize its contribution and distribution infrastructure, bringing greater flexibility, resilience...

26/08/2026

Telestream Unveils the Next Phase of UP at IBC2026

Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, today announced the next evolution of Telestream UP, expanding the cloud-native platform introduced ...

26/08/2026

SMPTE Announces 2026 Honorees

SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced its 2026 Honorees, recognizing individuals and organizations whose contrib...

26/08/2026

Broadpeak launches Click2Cart to mark new era in shoppabl...

New solution bridges connected TV (CTV) and ecommerce to make shoppable performance advertising easier to scale for streaming platforms and broadcasters Broadp...

26/08/2026

Scripps Research and collaborators awarded $19.5 million to establish an open-access autonomous chemistry laboratory

LA JOLLA, CA-Recent advances in robotics, automation and artificial intelligence...

26/08/2026

How WeFX Made From's' Monsters Feel Uncomfortably Real

How WeFX Made From's' Monsters Feel Uncomfortably Real Brie Clayton August 26, 2026 0 Comments From eight-foot dolls and feathered birds to R...

26/08/2026

Eleanor Roosevelt High School Elevates Student Rallies with Blackmagic Design

Eleanor Roosevelt High School Elevates Student Rallies with Blackmagic Design Brie Clayton August 26, 2026 0 Comments Student led production team uses...

26/08/2026

Grass Valley Advances Integrated Live Production for Unif...

K-Frame and Maverik X innovations extend familiar production control into AMPP, alongside new replay, audio, commentary and communications capabilities. At IBC...

26/08/2026

Magewell Expands Director and Pro Convert IP Lines at IBC...

New products continue to enable any signal, anywhere for creators...

26/08/2026

AFP and Dalet Bring Trusted Content into Every Newsroom

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced a new integrated newsroom experience with Agence France-Presse (A...

26/08/2026

Bolin Technology and ITDev Join AIMS

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

Enco to Highlight Caption, Translation Enhancements at IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

ZOO Digital Chooses Interra Systems BATON for Quality Control

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...