Utica College joins esports conference and will build campus esports center

UTICA, N.Y. — Utica College has joined East Coast Conference (ECC) Esports, giving students the opportunity to compete and represent the college on a national stage.

In addition, the college will construct a state-of-the-art esports center on campus. The new facility, located in the current Carbone Auditorium in Bull Hall, will feature 30 computer stations with desktop-gaming systems, a main stage/large screen for gaming competitions, seating for announcers, and couches for spectators.

Utica Esports grew from an offshoot of the college’s Cybersecurity Club in 2019 and has fast become a popular student organization.

“This news is a credit to the members of the Esports Club, who took the initiative and helped us understand the benefits of adding this fast-growing sport to our institution,” Jeffery Gates, Utica College’s senior VP for student life and enrolment, said in a release. “It’s an inclusive sport that will attract a new generation of students and bolster our recruitment and retention efforts.”

The new Carbone Esports Auditorium will give students access to high-tech gaming systems that allow the entire team to play simultaneously.

“Because of the pandemic and some equipment issues members deal with, we’ve never been able to play together as a team in the same physical space before,” said Jared Best, the club’s webmaster and one of its founders. “Being able to high-five your teammate in person will definitely solidify that team aspect, the same way it does in traditional sports.”

The ECC got its start in 2019 with six institutions and has since expanded to 14 schools participating in a growing roster of games and championship events. 

Founded in 1946, Utica College (www.utica.edu) enrolls about 3,300 undergraduate and 1,300 graduate students.