HIGH POINT, N.C. — Esports is one of the fastest-growing industries, according to a recent study by Business Insider.

  • The club began in the fall of 2018 with just 11 members. Now, with more than 80 members, it’s considered a club sport just like other traditional sports
  • The university recently unveiled its new esports arena. Players can sharpen their skills on high-tech computers, outfitted with speakers and other gaming gear
  • For more information on the Esports Club at High Point University, click here

The esports club at High Point University is feeling that growth as well. The club began in the fall of 2018 with just 11 members. Now, with more than 80 members, it’s considered a club sport just like other traditional sports.

“You play a rival, and with that rival, you have that juiced up energy, and you want to get up, you want to go," says Club Sports Athletic Director Jacob Crawford. "They have the same anxiety of sitting here playing a different team every single time. The same anxiety that they would have if they were on a field or a court playing a different sport.”

The university recently unveiled its new esports arena. Players can sharpen their skills on high-tech computers, outfitted with speakers and other gaming gear.

“This arena helped us more than anything because it used to be that this entire area was just a classroom, and then we got this arena that’s only dedicated to e-sports,” says HPU sophomore and esports club co-manager Dylan Thompson.

However, esports isn’t just for game design majors. Thompson says, out of all members, only about 20 percent of the study game design and development. A majority of members joined the club for their love of gaming.

Leadership roles, promoting events, and keeping track of competitions are also critical opportunities offered in the club.

Crawford says, ”we’re trying to teach them ownership of something so that they can take it and grow it into whatever major they’re participating in.”

The team competes with other universities around the nation and across the globe. Last year, the team traveled to play against Mississippi State’s team. You can even watch their matches, which are streamed online.

For more information on the Esports Club at High Point University, click here.