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

  • Big Horn Academy

    Big Horn Academy

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Big Horn Academy has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts

    Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • Auburn University Debuts $224M STEM + Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., recently opened its new $224-million STEM + Agricultural Sciences Complex, the largest research construction project in the university’s history, according to university news. The facility measures more than 265,000 square feet and brings six departments from the College of Agriculture and College of Sciences and Mathematics together under one roof.