“Social media use and excessive video streaming can isolate us, leading to increased anxiety and depression. But video games and esports connect us through collaboration. Games like… offer the opportunity to work together toward a common goal, and a collaborative way for those stuck at home to maintain connections with community and loved ones. It allows them to virtually escape from home without putting their health at risk. This makes video games a powerful force in fighting the destructive psychological effects of isolation.”

“The LAN center is an incredibly valuable way to make that virtual third place a physical reality where students can actually meet face-to-face to develop stronger, real-world, campus-oriented connections,” Fay said. “It allows students to remove that mask of anonymity and meet the student behind the avatars that they may already be playing with online.”

“Kirk explained ISU’s esports program was looking to adopt the same style developed and implemented at Akron. Kirk calls it the ‘Michael Fay Model’ after the previous director of esports at the university. ‘Although I’m sure others had toyed around with the idea of building out a comprehensive, all-inclusive program, he and our team at Akron were the first at a university to actually implement this type vision through the development of varsity, club, and recreational gaming opportunities, programming and facilities,’ he said.”

“Nearly 80,000 people watched the championships live on streaming site Twitch, in addition to the audience of about 2,000 in Arlington.”

“Councilman Russel Neal (D-Ward 4), who sponsored the resolution, said he felt Council and city officials have an opportunity to partner with UA and look into esports as an economic generator, perhaps making Akron the entertainment epicenter of esports in the Midwest. He also noted Council has the right to form exploratory committees to look into something like this.
’We have the best team in the nation, and a fledgling sport industry,’ Neal said.”

“Akron Rocket League was the first team in the history of Collegiate Rocket League to qualify for nationals twice in a row after winning the Collegiate Rocket League Northern Conference Championships on March 20.”

“‘Our esports program has tremendous value in experiential learning opportunities for students at the University in such areas as esports casting, marketing, promotion, and beyond,’ Huss said. ‘Like many of the University’s strongest programs, Akron Esports involves multiple disciplines: digital technology, graphic arts, business, athletics, and psychology.’

“At Akron, Fay oversees student coaches for each specific game and provides guidance ‘on more of the interpersonal aspects of competing with a team; things like communication, team-building, the psychological aspect of it, like managing your emotional state, mindfulness training.’”

'“‘We think that by providing them avenues to tie in their academic research to something that they care about, such as gaming and esports, they’re going to retain information better, they’re going to do better research and ultimately it will make them better students and better citizens,’ says Michael Fay Jr., director of esports.”

“Tim Inzitari, a sophomore computer science major and Hearthstone player for The University of Akron said: ‘Before this esports program I knew of four people on the campus who played Hearthstone. Now I know about 30. So, just building those friendships and communities has been really important. I’ve met people that I’m probably going to be friends with for a while.’”

“UA is the first public university in northern Ohio to create a comprehensive varsity esports program, joining an estimated 70 collegiate eSports programs around the country adding the sport in recent years.”

“This reflects our program's commitment to ensure -- whether you're a student who likes to game casually or are a dedicated competitive player -- that there's a space for you to celebrate your love of gaming with others who share that passion,’ said Michael Fay, Jr., director and head coach the esports programs, in a press release.

‘We're not divided by the type of game we play, the platform we play it on or how competitively we play it."

“Gaming does encapsulate a lot of similarities with conventional sports. For example, gamers often refer to the concept of mechanical skill, which is really important to an esports player. It essentially refers to their physical ability to respond the fastest, have the quickest reflexes. Those are in a sense athletic abilities that are valued in conventional sports. These are skills that just like any other athletic skill can be practiced, improved upon. And there is a strategic aspect to all sports. There are no esports that don’t have that strategic aspect.”

The University of Akron announced Monday it will sponsor varsity esports beginning in the 2018-19 academic year. "It is important for UA to be ahead of the curve," university president Matthew Wilson told ESPN.