Digital Durham attended the launch of Durham University’s brand new Esports hub and delved into the world of competitive gaming.
Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games and just like traditional sports, players use their individual skill and teamwork to overcome their opponents to claim victory. Esports has evolved significantly over the years and continues to grow. As of 2021, esports was bringing in a global audience of over 500 million viewers and is an industry estimated to be worth $1.2 billion dollars.
On the afternoon of Thursday 20 June 2024, Durham University hosted a celebration event to mark the opening of the university’s first ever dedicated esports facility. Built at the Sports & Wellbeing Park at Maiden Castle, attendees got a first glimpse of this brand-new gaming arena which is the new home to 12 custom built desks. Each desk is complete with a high-end gaming PC, an esports grade monitor, keyboard, mouse, headset and of course, a gaming chair. Each station is self-contained to achieve the perfect gaming set up for practice and competition and fully badged up by the Durham University esports and Gaming society (DUEG) branding. This space was created to support Durham University’s esports strategy as well as becoming a base for their very own team DUEG. It has provided a venue to allow students to practice, train and participate in official events in a professional setting, with access to equipment that isn’t readily available to most people, and certainly not the typical set up you can imagine in bedrooms up and down the country. It also provides the society the set up to invite other students to take part in social events and tournaments which will result in wider participation across the Durham student body.
At the launch event guests including pupils from St Leonards Catholic School, Durham were treated to a tour of the esports Hub, where university students and representatives of DUEG were on hand to explain the setup, show guests around and answer any questions all the while showing the students to their gaming chairs for the afternoon gaming session. Students battled out in the air-conditioned arena while members of DUEG were on hand to guide and advise.
Once the session had finished, attendees were moved into the Team Durham Clubhouse suite where Kylie Kendrick, former semi pro esports player and Technical Specialist, provided the group with a brief overview on esports and of her own esports journey, capped off with an online safety briefing aimed at the St Leonards pupils where she covered not just keeping your information secure and online bullying, but also healthy gaming habits like taking regular breaks, regular exercise, diet and addiction. The students hung to Kylie’s every word due to her credibility in the world of esports.
Vice Chancellor Karen O’Brien kicked things off for the official opening of the facility, addressing the attendees which included other faculty members, Students, Durham County Council and British esports representatives, and rallying DUEG to become the number 1 ranked university esports team in the country. Kylie Kendrick followed, thanking the project funders, creators and builders, finishing up by explaining how it is hoped that in the future the facility will be enjoyed by the local community, primarily schools and colleges, as a way to enhance their social interaction and build on some of the essential skills that esports can foster.
Students representing DUEG shared their experience of esports at Durham University and what this new space allows them to do moving forward. There was a strong sense of community with each member talking about inclusion, diversity, supporting each other and wider student body which goes far beyond gaming.
Speaking during the event Kylie Kendrick said “We are thrilled to launch this space with the support of our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Karen O’Brien, our colleagues in CIS (Computing and Information Services) and Team Durham. We aim to continue to make esports a positive aspect of the Wider Student Experience at Durham, providing students with opportunities to attend industry level events, support local esports events and foster their own communities, in particular, encouraging our Women and Non-Binary community to continue to thrive.”
