SUNY Poly launches Esports program

MARCY — SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) announced it has started an Esports (electronic sports) program and joined the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) to offer students a “competitive alternative to more traditional collegiate sports.”

Esports, which have “grown rapidly over the past decade,” have been adopted by several SUNY institutions. The industry is reportedly expected to soon top $1 billion, SUNY Poly contended in a news release. The first-ever collegiate Esports arena in the SUNY system was opened in 2018 at SUNY Canton. 

Danbury, Connecticut–based ECAC “is an 80-year old organization with well over 200 members schools across all three NCAA Divisions — I, II and III — that exists to enhance the experience of student-athletes participating in intercollegiate athletics, and provide great value for universities and colleges, by sponsoring championships, leagues, bowl games, tournaments and other competitions throughout the Northeast,” per its website. 

The ECAC also hosts an Esports program that currently involves 23 schools fielding 107 teams across six different Esports games that the ECAC sponsors. The schools include Syracuse University, which joined in September.

SUNY Poly’s adoption of Esports was supported by sophomore Joseph Center, a computer and information science major, who has been involved with Esports competitions for nearly a decade. 

“Not everyone is as interested in traditional sports as they are in Esports games, so it definitely attracts a different type of person, especially at a technology-driven institution,” said Center. “Esports have many of the same aspects as traditional sports, particularly for people who are looking for an environment that still offers competition.”

Games offered for students in the spring 2020 semester include Fortnite, Overwatch, FIFA, League of Legends, Super Smash Bros., Ultimate, Hearthstone, and Rocket League.