ATHENS, W.Va. — Concord University is set to become the first public college or university in West Virginia to offer eSports to its students.
Concord made the announcement in a release on Tuesday saying it will be adding a varsity level eSports team to its roster. Only 63 institutions in the country have varsity eSports programs.
ESports is competitive, organized video gaming that attracts players and spectators from around the world, as Concord said university administration made the decision to pursue adding eSports after an overwhelming response to a recent student survey indicated 80-percent of respondents showed interest in a program at the school.
The release by the university stated the gaming arena will be housed in the Nick Rahall Technology Center and the funding to begin the Concord eSports team has been donated.
“Not only will starting a varsity eSports team allow more students to compete on the collegiate level, the university hopes to use this as a springboard for future courses,” President Kendra Boggess said in the release.