E-Sports Coming to BC
Bluefield College is adding an intriguing new sports program to a constantly expanding list of available athletics. A new varsity e-sports program will be coming to the college in the fall of 2020.
The new e-sports teams will be under the direction of the Information Systems and Technology Department and will be separate from the traditional Athletics Department. The college will focus first on recruiting new students to be a part of the e-sports program, and players will be eligible for scholarships.
“As of right now, we are only looking for new students to the college, so current students, at this time, are not eligible,” said Chip Lambert, BC’s chief information officer who will serve as head coach of the e-sports teams. “I’m sure that will change at some point, but for now our focus is to use this program to increase enrollment.”
Recruiting players has already begun with the goal of having 10-15 players when the program starts this fall. Players will compete in collegiate tournaments for games such as Smite, Paladins, Hearthstone and more.
“The pandemic has made recruiting challenging, but not impossible,” Lambert said. “We had visited a couple schools in the area and talked to high school players in the Virginia High School League before COVID-19, so we are using those relationships and good old-fashioned email to connect with potential players.”
Currently, Lambert and other members of the IST staff are transforming Science 106 into the new home for the e-sports teams. The room will be equipped with Alienware gaming rigs and other equipment, thanks to various outside donations to the program.
“Robbie Smith, Tim Robinette and Bobby Whitt (members of the IST staff) have really stepped up during this construction phase to keep costs as low as possible,” Lambert said. “I can’t wait to show it off. We hope to have the area finished by early summer so we can start using it in our recruiting and marketing materials.”
With the start of the new e-sports program, Bluefield College will become a part of the National Association of College E-sports (NACE), a conference established for e-sports competition. NACE will act as the governing body for teams and competition and will be in charge of scheduling all matches, which will be streamed on Twitch and other streaming outlets.
“The e-sports program launching at Bluefield College is certainly an exciting moment for us,” Smith said. “It would be fair to say that preparing for the launch of this program has a lot of moving parts and is coming along nicely.”
Current and prospective students interested in more information about the new e-sports program are encouraged to contact Lambert by email at clambert@bluefield.edu or visit bcrams-esports.com where you can submit an inquiry form.