Texas A&M University sport management undergraduates and competitive gamers are teaming up to host the Texas A&M Esports Experience Powered by Mountain Dew, iBUYPOWER, BenQ, and AZIO Thursday, Oct. 11, for a day of tournaments and a panel talk with gaming industry leaders in the Ford Hall of Champions at Kyle Field 4-11 p.m.
Esports, or organized, competitive video gaming, has grown into a lucrative industry that offers professional opportunities for Texas A&M students pursuing careers in sport management.
“Recognizing the tremendous growth and popularity of Esports, we conceptualized the Esports Experience to build a local Esports community, promote campus collaboration through Esports, and highlight career opportunities possible in the Esports industry,” Division of Sport Management Chair within the College of Education & Human Development Dr. Matthew Walker said. “This is the first of several exciting collaborative initiatives we have planned for Esports in Aggieland.”
The student-led effort is a collaboration between the Division of Sport Management at Texas A&M, the Texas A&M Esports team, Texas A&M Athletics, and the Texas A&M Division of Marketing and Communications. Organizers say they hope to engage the recreational and competitive gaming community on campus and give students real-world experiences in event management and production.
The Texas A&M Esports Experience, which is the first of its kind in Aggieland, will feature competitive League of Legends and Overwatch tournaments, free-play on titles that include Fortnite, Rocket League, and SMASH, plus a panel talk between industry leaders from GG eSports Academy, NGAGE, Innovative Performance Institute, and Infinite Gaming.
Each year, students in a Texas A&M sport management course under the direction of Dr. Sloane Milstein partner with campus groups to create, plan and execute an event that will give them real-world experience. Last academic year, students put on the 2018 HLKN Climate & Diversity Conference: Able, Active, and Adaptive.
Admission is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Media contact: Sam Peshek, 979-845-4680, sam.peshek@tamu.edu.
