Get Your Game On, Utica College To Build State Of The Art Gaming Center

Utica College is joining East Coast Conference Esports, giving UC students the chance to compete and represent the college on national stage.

Utica College has competed in Esports on a club level since 2019 as an offshoot of the College’s Cybersecurity Club.

For the uninitiated, Esports, also known as electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games.

President Laura Casamenot says, the college will be constructing a state-of-the-art Esports Center on campus.

The new facility will be located in the current Carbone Auditorium inside Bull Hall and will feature 30 computer stations with desktop gaming systems and a large main stage and large screen for gaming competitions.

The new Carbone Esports Auditorium will give students access to high-tech gaming systems, and allows the entire team to play simultaneously, which members say will be a huge boost to team morale.

“This news is a credit to the members of the Esports Club, who took the initiative and helped us understand the benefits of adding this fast-growing sport to our institution,” says Jeffery Gates, Utica College Senior Vice President for Student Life and Enrollment. “It’s an inclusive sport that will attract a new generation of students and bolster our recruitment and retention efforts.”

The ECC includes 14 schools participating in a growing roster of games and championship events.

• Utica College
• Daemen College
• University of the District of Columbia,
• D'Youville College
• Farmingdale State College
• Hood College
• Mercy College
• Molloy College
• New York Institute of Technology
• Old Westbury College
• Southern New Hampshire University
• College of Staten Island
• St. Thomas University (Fla.)
• St. Thomas Aquinas College.

East Coast Conference Esports heads into its fourth season during the 2021-22 academic year.

The league has offered championships in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Rocket League, Valorant, Overwatch, and League of Legends, and continues to explore the addition of new games to its roster.