Anchored in the esports room at Syracuse University’s Barnes Center at The Arch are 36 desktop computers. Behind them, pieces of plexiglass are illuminated with green, red and blue lights indicating whether the station is open, in use or out of order.

It’s an environment that, in itself, is a big step toward expansion, said Lauren Wiener, the founder and president of the Esports at Syracuse University Club.

“I think just having the room exist on campus has made the biggest change in the SU gaming community,” she said.

In late September, SU joined the Eastern College Athletic Conference and is one of the 57 schools offering esports at the collegiate level. And with the recent expansion of the gaming center, SU’s esports team said it hope this brings a promising impact to its team.

Trent Pitoniak, the vice president of the club, said the center has directly led to the club’s growth. Since its opening, more than 100 students have joined the club’s Discord — an online communication platform used by ESSU members to discuss games and tournaments — to get more information.

By creating a more interconnected community, it has prepared the club for more success than ever before, said senior Katie Willard, the community coordinator for ESSU.

Sophomore David Fikhman said in a text message that more students will be inclined to take part in esports events to familiarize themselves with the culture, simply because the center is a new hub of student activity. Fikhman is one of the lead game organizers for Pokémon — one of the six competitive teams that’s representing SU in national tournaments.

“(The Arch) allows more people to participate in or view esports events going on or just view people playing games to get a handle for it,” Fikhman said.

Wiener said this peer-driven motivation is similar to how some students go to the library to study with others who also want to do well. But within the sport, there can be some limitations.

While other sports may be more communally driven, gaming is a reclusive pastime by nature, especially when the technology itself is virtually immovable, said Wiener. The funding to play these games at a competitive level is also a barrier, she added.

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Fikhman said while some people have the resources for the equipment, others don’t see esports at the same level as traditional sports, or worth significant monetary investments.

But the latest expansion of the gaming center has given students a way to compete at their optimal level. Because the room allows esport athletes to compete without lag and with better settings, they can do better in competitions, Willard said.

While gaming is similar to other recreational activities at The Arch, students are able to interact with like-minded people and compete at a high level, Pitoniak said. The opportunities also can help gamers advance in their careers to hopefully become some of the best players. However, he said, it’s like any competitive sport and takes time to improve.

At a community level, it’s important that the esports room is in the The Arch, Fikhman said. SU’s investment in esports reiterates the significance of this movement to major universities that aren’t sold on competitive gaming at the collegiate level, he said.

At the beginning of each semester, the competitive teams hold open tryouts, and then the captains choose their players, Pitoniak said. Aspects like strong communication and a chemistry with other members are also considered.

But building that camaraderie has been difficult in the past because there wasn’t a designated location for the club before this, Pitoniak said, adding that the club mostly did online competitions, but relied on Hinds Hall for its in-person events.

The new room at The Arch is much better in this regard, Wiener said, because the teams are able to schedule practices, scrimmages and online tournaments.

Wiener said the space allows gamers to play live, which gives them a better sense of what strategies work best. Some captains also use in-person practices to review gameplay recordings with the team to pinpoint problems and resolve them.

“It’s like going to a practice for any sport,” Wiener said. “And practice makes perfect.”

Published on October 15, 2019 at 10:54 pm

gfpagano@syr.edu