Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

WIU to Open Digital Rec Center This Fall

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/07/21

Western Illinois University, located in Macomb, Ill., is set to debut its Digital Rec Center (DiRC) in fall 2021. The center will play home to the university’s eSports team and offer students a space for competitive gaming, console gaming, a virtual reality station, and more. The WIU Foundation purchased the space, formerly Chapman’s Bookstore, in 2019, and renovations have been led by WIU Facilities Management and funded by WIU Auxiliary Services.

“Providing opportunities for our students, in and out of the classroom, is crucial for our students’ success,” said WIU President Guiyou Huang. “The field of eSports has an enormous following and it’s growing every day. Having this new Digital Recreation Center on our Macomb campus—that gives our students another recreational outlet, as well as competition space they can be proud of—provides yet another opportunity for our current and prospective students.”

The eSports market was valued at about $1.08 billion this year, and revenue is on track to reach $1.62 billion by 2024. The DiRC plans to offer competitive gaming opportunities for games like League of Legends and Fortnite, and it will have a “black box” area for WIU student organizations to use for activities and programs.

“I am incredibly excited to have an eSports arena on our campus. Having its own location will help to really give WIU its own image and also provides a whole new place where students can spend their time,” said Ben Hironimus-Wendt, acting president of WIU student organization Western Electronic Gaming Association (WEGA). “This will give students already looking into eSport competitions a way to compete on equal grounds with a computer that rivals my own in performance. This is the right move for the future of competitive Leathernecks, and the right move for WIU.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Construction Begins on 100+ Acre K–12 Campus Designed for Lakota Culture

    The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST) and the Cheyenne-Eagle Butte School District in Eagle Butte, S.D., recently broke ground on a new K–12 campus that will cover more than 100 acres and serve students and families across 1,600 square miles, according to a news release.

  • 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.

  • ed tech conference calendar

    Upcoming Awards, Events & Webinars

  • Longwood University Hits Construction Milestone on New Music Education Facility

    Longwood University in Farmville, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of its new music education and performance facility, according to a news release. The university partnered with development and construction firm Skanska on the 63,800-square-foot facility, which began construction in August 2025 and has an estimated completion date of fall 2028.