Professional video gaming – or Esports – has become a multi-billion dollar industry, and Kilgore College is on the cutting-edge of training future gamers with the upcoming grand opening of the college’s Esports training room.
The practice facility will officially open with a ribbon cutting set for 2 p.m. Monday, March 2, in the Devall Student Center on the Kilgore campus.
This state-of-the-art facility features the best-available gaming computer stations, powered by Dell, with 27-inch monitors and RTX 2080 TI graphics cards.
“If students want to join the ranks of the professional gamers, they have to hit a very special type of gym,” said Andy Taylor, KC’s Esports coach. “We are extremely proud of our new ‘gym’ that gives our students a place to practice and prepare for competitions.”
The KC Esports program began in the spring of 2019 following the “Clash for College” tournament that awarded $4,000 in KC scholarships to the top finishers.
Esports at KC has a 26-member student team that competes across the state with other colleges and universities at gaming tournaments, most recently competing at the Overwatch Masters Tour at the Esports Stadium in Arlington – the largest dedicated Esports facility in North America.
KC Esports has competitive teams in Overwatch, League of Legends, Rocket League, Call of Duty and Hearthstone.
“Right now our team consists of 26 members but we have a total of 64 students involved in the program,” Taylor said. “And that number will continue to grow as word spreads. Students competing on varsity teams must meet academic requirements and be enrolled full time.”
On April 18, KC and the Longview Mall will host the first gaming tournament ever held at the mall.
Called the “Longview Legends Cup,” it will be a 64-player tournament with winners receiving scholarships to KC and other prizes.
“It’s going to be a huge event and it’s something Longview has never seen,” Taylor said. “Visitors to the mall will be able to watch all of the action live and cheer on their favorite gamers.”
More details on the tournament will be released soon.
For more information on Esports at KC, visit www.kilgore.edu/esports.