Esports continues to grow at the University of Minnesota.
New this fall at the University of Minnesota, an eSports lab in the north building at the Recreation and Wellness Center, home to their eSports team.
"The new lab space has 20 gaming PCs, three console setups, a workspace conference table for coaching and or practice sessions," says Doug Goon with Gopher Athletics.
Goon is the GopherEsports program lead. The program's been growing since launching in 2017 with three teams competing in two separate leagues.
"This is an opportunity at Minnesota specifically for Gopher Athletics to broaden our fan base and possibly reach students who maybe aren't interested in golfer football on Saturdays," says Goon.
He says the lab is a great next step in expanding the program.
"For comparisons sake, Ohio State has 100 PC space. I am glad that we have our 20 PC space, and I hope that we can show that the students need more," he adds. "And we want to put on events and make sure to fill that space up and show the school that eSports is here to stay."
Nearly 20 students compete in three different game titles across two different leagues including the Big Esports Conference and Power Esports Conference.