Faulkner University ’ s eSports Program
Faulkner ’ s eSports team is still in its first year . Faulkner started planning for the new eSports facility in Fall 2021 and hired Caleb as the head coach in January 2022 .
Caleb shared , “ Our eSports team is a part of the athletic department . I answer directly to the athletic director , and Faulkner Sports Network covers our events . Our eSports players get scholarships , attend practices , and have academic eligibility standards just like our more traditional athletes .”
Currently , there are 32 students on the eSports roster . While there are some students that compete in more than one of the eSports Faulkner University offers , no two teams are composed of the same group of students . There are no students that compete in three or more because the time commitment would be far too demanding .
“ Among the 170 + colleges and universities in the National Association of Collegiate eSports ( NACE ), we never know who we will play against , as they schedule our games based upon region and skill level . However , several other prominent universities also belong to NACE . Several in-state colleges like Auburn , Alabama , and Montevallo as well as some out-of-state schools such as Mississippi State and Florida belong to the NACE ,” Caleb explained .
Currently , Faulkner offers five eSports events :
Counter Strike : Global Offensive
Rocket League
Super Smash Bros . Ultimate
League of Legends
Overwatch
What to Know About eSports
Caleb shared , “ eSports offers similar levels of development in the areas of strategy , teamwork , and problem-solving as many traditional sports . Just like in football or basketball , the less skilled team can defeat the more skilled team if the coordination is superior . Like traditional collegiate sports , most college eSports players will not go on to be pros . Therefore , the primary goal of a college eSports team ought to be enriching the character and cooperative skills of the men and women playing the sports . Pitting them against other skilled teams motivates them to push themselves and their teammates to achieve this goal .”
How to Join Faulkner ' s Program
Students will fill out an online application on the Faulkner eSports webpage . After that , the coach will contact them and set up a tryout . Finally , if the tryout goes well , they will discuss scholarship opportunities and enrollment .
Time Commitment
Faulkner eSports athletes can expect to spend five to eight hours a week worth of time per game . They have two practices a week that last two to three hours a piece and one match a week that typically lasts around an hour .
Sources : https :// www . digitaltrends . com / gaming / college-esports-2022 / | https :// www . ncsasports . org / college-esports-scholarships / varsity-esports
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