Ball State University Debuts Esports Center

Ball State University, located in Muncie, Ind., held a virtual ribbon cutting for its new Esports Center this week. The ceremony was livestreamed on the BSU website on Monday, April 5. The 3,600-square-foot facility will serve as the home of the College of Communication, Information, and Media’s new Esports program.

The Ball State Esports team is one of 12 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC), a branch of the nascent, independent Esports Collegiate Conference. The conference features divisions in the popular video games League of Legends, Rocket League, and Overwatch.

Ball State University Esports Center

“We’re ecstatic to officially unveil our new home,” said the director of Ball State’s Esports program, Dan Marino. “At Ball State, our beautiful campus is our canvas. This Esports Center is our University’s latest addition, which improves the sense of place for our students.”

According to a press release, the Esports Center (located in the Robert Bell Building on campus) features amenities like:

  • Computers for varsity team and educational use
  • An Elevated Gameplay platform that accommodates 6 vs. 6 gaming competitions
  • Stadium seating with a capacity of 50
  • Interactive classroom with a smart display
  • A lounge area with video-game consoles
  • A control room for live, multicamera, and gameplay streaming of events and competitions
  • Administrative offices for the esports director and graduate assistants

The Dean of the College of Communication, Information, and Media, Dr. Paaige Turner, said of the new facility, “Our program and new facilities will help us achieve our goal of enhancing academic offerings by bringing esports experiences into curricula across multiple disciplines including digital sports production, business, computer sciences, animation, and sport administration.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Tennant Company Launches Autonomous Floor Scrubber

    Cleaning equipment and solutions provider Tennant Company recently launched the new X6 ROVR, a mid-sized robotic scrubber designed for large commercial and light-industrial environments, according to a news release. The autonomous machine can clean up to 75,000 square feet peer cycle with minimal needs for manual assistance.

  • modern college building with circuit and brain motifs

    Anthropic Introduces Claude for Education

    Anthropic has launched a version of its Claude AI assistant tailored for higher education institutions. Claude for Education "gives academic institutions secure, reliable AI access for their entire community," the company said, to enable colleges and universities to develop and implement AI-enabled approaches across teaching, learning, and administration.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2025 New Product Awards

    Spaces4Learning is now accepting entries for the 2025 New Product Awards! The program’s goal is to honor the outstanding product development achievements of manufacturers and suppliers whose products and services are particularly noteworthy in helping to improve K–12 and Higher Education learning environments.

  • KnowBe4 Releases Report on Education Sector’s Preparedness for Cyberattacks

    Cybersecurity platform KnowBe4 recently released a new research report titled “From Primary Schools to Universities, The Global Education Sector is Unprepared for Escalating Cyber Attacks,” according to a news release.

Digital Edition