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Since competitions…","datePublished":"2021-07-15","dateModified":"2024-11-07","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/#Person","name":"Rebecca Burylo","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Faulkner University","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","width":480,"height":128}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Esports.png","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Esports.png","height":800,"width":800},"url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/highlights\/esports-team-coming-to-faulkner\/","video":{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LOlc8vWrxcI#VideoObject","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LOlc8vWrxcI","name":"Faulkner Super Smash Bros. 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Here you can find updates around campus, chapel videos, student-submitted content, and much more! Consider subscribing, so you don't miss any future videos! 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Since competitions are virtual, they can be broadcast online for viewers to watch around the world. Faulkner has recognized esports as a great opportunity to attract prospective students and hopes to be a part of building it into an established competitive collegiate sport. Much like early college football, esports is growing from a grassroots effort where gaming guidelines, competition schedules and player formats are agreed upon with mutual cooperation between opposing teams. Organized under the Faulkner Athletics Department, Faulkner esports is scheduled to launch by the fall of 2022, however, renovations and development of the new arena should be completed by December 2021.Faulkner\u2019s plans are to establish an official varsity team. Unlike traditional sports, esports is a participant sport that anyone can play.\u00a0\u201cEsports is in high demand right now among high schools and it\u2019s growing at an incredible rate among colleges and universities,\u201d said Mark Hunt, Vice President for Enrollment Management. \u201cEsports is something you can participate in from anywhere in the world and we already have a large number of students on campus who have expressed interest in participating and growing the sport.\u201dDuring the spring 2021 semester, students on Faulkner\u2019s Montgomery campus organized small local gaming events and hosted tournaments with cooperation from Caleb Colquitt, Resident Director.\u00a0In addition to baseball, basketball, football and other sporting games, students participated in Nintendo\u2019s Super Smash Bros and Mario Kart in addition to traditional esports games such as League of Legends, Overwatch, and Rocket League. \u201cGetting in on the ground level of esports is a good draw,\u201d Colquitt said. \u201cEsports has blossomed over the pandemic and is becoming a really big deal. There are large monetary prizes at the tournament levels, which have been featured on ESPN.\u201dFaulkner\u2019s arena would also be able to host other tournaments for local high schools and surrounding areas. A space inside the Multiplex has been designated for the arena and will include new computers, monitors, gaming chairs, desks, special lighting, production equipment and a live viewing area along with outside viewing areas.\u00a0Teams can include up to six players at a time, smaller teams or even individual tournaments, depending on the game.\u00a0According to gaming analytics company, NewZoo, the fan base for esports is expected to include nearly 729 million people by the end of 2021, a 10% increase from 2020.Prospective students interested should contact the Admissions Office at 334-386-7200 or inquire by email to admissions@faulkner.edu."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Highlights","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/\/highlights\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"ESports Team Coming to Faulkner","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/highlights\/esports-team-coming-to-faulkner\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]