NEW YORK (Reuters) – ESPN will keep its first-ever college championship for competitive video gaming later this year. On Tuesday, the TV sports community said an excessive-profile esports occasion aimed toward younger enthusiasts who spend more time with game controllers than baseball bats or hockey sticks.
ESPN Events, a unit of Walt Disney Co’s cable sports network that also produces a lineup of different sports activities occasions along with the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl, will provide the Collegiate Esports Championship (CEC).
The showdown may be held in Houston at Comicpalooza at the George R. Brown Convention Center in May. Players will compete in 5 video games: Overwatch, Hearthstone, StarCraft II, Heroes of the Storm, and Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition.
Street Fighter is made via Japan’s Capcom Co Ltd; the alternative featured games evolved using Blizzard Entertainment, a division of Activision Blizzard Inc.
As professional esports tournaments have multiplied inside a final couple of years, so too have university-degree games, with faculties developing their very own competitive groups as they would for traditional sports.
Schools just like the University of Nevada, Las Vegas now provide esports labs and direction paintings. The University of California at Irvine even has it’s very own esports arena and summertime camp.
“As universities keep growing their esports programs on the varsity, non-varsity, and membership degrees, we’re proud to be offering a platform for countrywide publicity and reputation of a number of the most talented players within the collegiate area,” said John Lasker, vice president of ESPN’s Digital Media Programming, in a declaration.
The CEC may even become Overwatch’s best collegiate championship. Prizes may be within the form of university scholarships, ESPN stated.
Players will come from the masses of North Am
