Today is National Video Games Day, and Kennesaw State University tweeted the following this morning in recognition of the day, and of their Esports program:

There's no better way to celebrate #NationalVideoGamesDay than to revisit our varsity Esports team, @KennesawESports. Oh, did we mention they won the 2021 @PeachBelt League of Legends Championship? 🎮 🏆

🔗: https://t.co/zKQ7YII6kO pic.twitter.com/r7NiiCoBSi

— Kennesaw State (@kennesawstate) September 12, 2021

According to KSU’s Esports program web page, “there were just seven varsity Esports programs at colleges and universities in July 2016. That number has since grown to include more than 170.”

Former KSU President Pamela Witten, who now heads Indiana University, had this to say about KSU’s Esports program:

“As we witness the exponential growth of Esports globally, it became clear that KSU was well-positioned join an exclusive group of universities nationwide who sponsor varsity programs. With Georgia’s only accredited game design degree program, strong industry partners and a robust Esports student organization, the timing couldn’t be more perfect to launch our varsity teams. Not only does it serve as a competitive outlet which injects our students with school pride, it aligns with our student-centric focus by allowing them to pursue their academic passions through our Esports scholarships.”

The three teams KSU fields are: League of Legends, Rocket League and SMITE.

According to the Esports web page:

Recently, Kennesaw State earned its first varsity Esports title by taking home the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) League of Legends championship. The Owls joined the Peach Belt in July as an affiliate member.

For more information about KSU’s Esports program, including a schedule of upcoming events, follow this link.

What are Esports?

An article in Harvard International Review defined Esports as follows:

Simply put, esports are video games that are played in a highly organized competitive environment. These games can range from popular, team-oriented multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs), to single player first person shooters, to survival battle royales, to virtual reconstructions of physical sports.

The main governing body of collegiate Esports is the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE).