Arena created for Esports on campus

Students break in the new Esports arena in the TI building. Paula Farmer | Washtenaw Voice

By: Ruby Go
Editor

WCC students now have a dedicated space to play video games on campus.

The Esports Arena, located in TI 239, is open Monday through Thursday from 3-6 p.m., and students of all skill levels are welcome. WTMC students are also welcome as long as they are currently enrolled in a WCC class.

“The key for us is to engage students and get you involved on campus,” said Matt Lucas, manager of WCC sports. “Being engaged here is more helpful than ‘I just come here for class and I go.’”

The arena has several computers as well as consoles to play games on, with a wide variety of games to choose from. WCC currently has two Esports teams, one for Super Smash Bros and one for Valorant. Before the arena was made available, the Smash Bros team reserved an empty classroom to practice in, while the Valorant team rented out space at EMU’s Esports arena. Now, the arena allows both teams to have their own space.

The total cost of the arena is about $45,000, according to Peter Leshkevich, director of student development. About $9,800 was spent on gaming consoles, laptops, games, and peripherals, which were purchased in previous years for WCC’s Esports programs.

Roughly $66,000 is expected to go into staffing, programming, and arena upkeep during the 2023-2024 fiscal year. That money will allow for two additional Esports teams, daily free play hours for WCC students, high school Esport team visits to the arena, as well as community tournaments, Leshkevich said.

The Department of Student Development and Activities is in the process of hiring a new coordinator to oversee the Esports program. Once the coordinator is hired, they plan to host a “formal grand opening” and open house for the arena.

“We are thrilled to expand our offerings and keep WCC students engaged,” Leshkevich said.