Inaugural season of Union Esports a success

Bruce Cory • April 29, 2024

This spring marks the end of the first season of intercollegiate competition for Union Commonwealth University's Esports teams. We fielded four teams this year: Valorant, Rocket League, Rainbow Six: Siege, and Super Smash Bros Ultimate for competition in the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC). All teams started in the lowest division, Navigators, but Valorant was so successful that the team was moved into the next higher division, Emergents.

Although this is the second year for esports at Union, this was our first year of intercollegiate competition. Last year we focused on developing an active club for intramural competition and social gaming. This year we added a graduate assistant to the program to assist with gaming arena supervision. The addition of the graduate assistant allowed the opening of the gaming arena for 20 hours a week so students could use the arena for social gaming when it is not used for competitions.

We are looking forward to further enhancements in our third year. Three teams - Valorant, Rocket League, and one team to be announced - will be eligible for esports scholarships. The scholarships will recognize three levels of commitment: team captain, active player, and bench player. We also plan to hire a coach for the teams.

We are grateful for the support of President Hawkins, the Board of Trustees, and the Technology Department. With their continued support, as well as the support of the larger campus community, great things are in store for the Union Bulldogs Esports future!

For more information about the esports teams or club, or to get involved, contact Bruce Cory at bcory@unionky.edu or (606) 546-1462.

Union students sit playing video games in different areas of the Esports Arena, which is lit with green and purple lighting. Three students near the center play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the big four panel screen, while other students in the back play on desktop PCs. Jesse Barton assists a student in the back left.

The Valorant team

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The Rainbow Six: Siege team

Portraits of people from around the globe

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Bruce Cory sits at a table in the Black Tech lobby with members of the Esports Club surrounding him. Two students are leaning in close to Cory to read or sign a paper, while others are talking with each other close by. A gray laptop bag, phone, and food boxes are on the table.

Bruce W. Cory is Assistant Professor of Spanish and Humanities at Union. Although he advises the Esports club and was around when the Atari 2600 made electronic gaming more accessible, he never owned a gaming console until last summer when he bought a used Xbox 360 to learn what all the fuss was about. The true brains and energy are the students who make esports the vibrant club it is.

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