UNITED STATES
A growing number of colleges in the United States are turning to e-sports to recruit and retain students in an era of decreasing college enrolment and sagging graduation rates, writes Sara Israelsen-Hartley for Deseret News.
Three years ago, the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) was a group of six institutions. By 2017, NACE had 27 colleges with varsity-level e-sports and today the organisation boasts 160-plus institutions and growing. The University of Utah made headlines when it became the first institution within the Power Five conferences to welcome e-sports at the varsity – not just club – level.
By investing in varsity-level e-sports teams and wooing hard-core gamers with scholarship dollars, colleges hope to communicate that not only is their university in sync with student interests, but that video games – contrary to lingering stereotypes, parental concerns and even professional e-sports funding woes – can actually be a path to college and contribute to a successful future.
Full report on the Deseret News site
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