Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Grand Valley State University Adds Esports Center

  • By Matt Jones
  • 01/12/23

Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., recently debuted the newest addition to its campus, the Laker Esports Center. The center features Extron technology and features 25 gaming stations, a coaching station, and two wall-mounted displays, according to a news release. The stations are arranged in pods allowing individual or team play, and multiple pods can participate in group play at the same time.

An AV switching system allows coaches and spectators to watch and hear the game itself, as well as player communication via headphones with integrated microphones. Two 75” displays—one in the center of the room and one in the adjoining dining hall—can show any combination of gameplay, player stats, commentary, or background data, the news release reports.

“After attending Extron webinars and studying their Esports Design Guide and other reference materials, I felt confident that we could design our esports center in house,” said John F. Klein, GVSU’s Associate Director and Program Manager of Information Technology. “With a little help from Extron engineers, we did.”

The news release reports that the school’s IT team designed the system with “an Extron DTP CrossPoint 4K seamless presentation matrix switcher, a ShareLink Pro wireless collaboration gateway, an SMP 351 streaming media processor, and pendent speakers.” The main display uses an MGP 641 multi-window processor to allow up to four windows at a time. DTP HD 330 distribution amplifiers send video signals to displays in the dining hall, while TouchLink Pro panels allow control from various points in the Center.

“We standardized on Extron because they’re built well, have the features we want, and they last,” said Klein.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Western Kentucky University, Gilbane Announce “Elevate WKU” Partnership

    Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky., recently announced that it has reached the financial close on a on a public-private partnership (P3) with Gilbane Development, according to a news release.

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • Hawaii Elementary School Reopens Following $25M Campus Modernization

    Haʻaheo Elementary School in Hilo, Hawaii, has reopened to students following a three-year, $25-million campus modernization and expansion project that significantly increases the school's instructional space while preserving one of the island's oldest educational institutions, according to local news.

  • Cleveland High School Breaks Ground on Modernization

    Portland Public Schools in Portland, Ore., recently announced that construction has begun on a modernization project for Cleveland High School, according to a news release. The existing building will be replaced with a new, 300,000-square-foot facility at the same site.