Esports at University of North Dakota are leveling up
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The esports season at University of North Dakota is wrapping up for the semester, but teams aren’t slowing down.
Twelve hours a week, teams practice in their brand new, high-tech space — or in sophomore Raneem Kobeissy’s words: “this cool space.”
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It’s a big step for North Dakota esports — aka electronic sports or competitive video gaming.
UND formed its competitive league in 2020; last year it launched the state’s first esports bachelor’s degree. Now it’s has its first permanent home.
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The 3,000-square-foot, multi-room setup in Grand Forks, N.D. is capital-n Nice.
Around $1.2 million has gone into its new gaming computers, large presentation screens, a practice room and a competition room. There’s also a professional broadcast room, a classroom, player lounge and nutrition station complete with Gatorade and lockers.
“Not a lot of esports facilities have this type of thing,” coach Ryan Kraus said. “This facility is one of the best that I’ve ever seen.”
Back when he started coaching in November 2021, the team had been renting computers from the campus intramural space or the sports building’s storage closet.
“We had subpar spaces,” Kraus said.
UND Provost Eric Carl Link worked with the team to approve the new space by last spring. By late summer, construction had begun.
Now there’s ample room and resources for the team’s 30 students.
They play in seven titles — or teams — each with their own games: League of Legends, Valorant, Rocket League, Rainbow Six Siege, Overwatch, Call of Duty and Super Smash Brothers.
‘It’s just like any sport’
Switch out 3D soccer for 2D soccer with cars, and you’ve got yourself esports.
“You're playing your favorite game, but mostly competitively. And it's just like any sport you play, like basketball: You could play it casually, you could go into a team or play competitively,” Kobeissy said.
And the UND team doesn’t just play competitively, they play well.
The Rainbow Six Siege athletes took sixth in the nation among 200 entrants. UND’s League of Legends team took second of 12 schools regionally.
“I was very proud,” Coach Kraus said.
To prep for a match, teams finesse a game at mandatory practices or scrimmage other teams. Many plan to use the facility over the summer to keep things fresh, much like other sports.
“Some people say it’s not a real sport. I don’t agree. It’s just like any sport: You get happy, you get sad, you fight with your teammates, you laugh with your teammates. It's just a normal sport. Instead of like actually playing, you sit in a chair and play on a computer but it’s a sport,” League of Legends player Kobeissy said.
Her teammates agree.
“I don’t think there should be a division between esports and regular sports,” graduating senior Greg Wyche said. “Every sport uses your muscles. This one just uses your brain more.”
He said the U.S. is catching up to esports’ popularity in Asia and Europe — and that means a lot to students like him.
“It allows people that may not be the most athletically inclined to be able to pursue the sport that they love and they can be professional in. I just think that's amazing,” Wyche, who is on the League of Legends team, said.
Playing the long game
Coach Kraus said he’s recruited another 30-some athletes for the fall, potentially kickstarting a junior varsity team and a CS: GO team — a first-person shooter game. He partially credits the new space for the increased interest.
Next season will likely bring more collaboration between the esports major and intramural team, considering the brand new space.
And over the summer, Kraus is working on setting up streaming in the broadcast room so anyone can tune into the games.
“I want this to be legitimate. I want people to look at this and be like, ‘This is what college esports should look like.’” he said. “When fall happens and we start our competition season back up, that is when it's all steam ahead.”
