From Georgia Jackson, University communication and university marketing
The University of South Florida has opened the USF Esports Living Lab – a major milestone for the university’s premier esports organization.
Located in the Campus Recreation Center, the 250-square-foot lab will feature an open space where 40 Lenovo Legion gaming PCs will be available for recreational use by all students, a private gaming suite with six PCs for esports competitions, and a broadcast and design room with production equipment for students broadcasting live esports events. The lab will also include several console stations with PlayStations, Xboxes, and Nintendo Switches for community gaming.
“Esports is the pinnacle of strategy, teamwork and community competition, which is why we chose to invest in this program at USF,” said President Rhea Law. “This new lab will provide many benefits to our students, such as the opportunity to hone their skills, make new friends with like-minded individuals and create lasting memories at watch parties, intramural activities and other special events hosted by USF Recreation & Wellness throughout the year.”
Since its launch in 2020, USF Esports has become a central hub for gaming on campus, with a thriving 3,500-member Discord community and 12 college clubs that attract more than 25 teams each semester to compete at the local, state, national and international levels. The university also hosts Battle for Florida, the largest collegiate esports tournament in Florida, bringing together more than 30 teams from across the state to compete in Rocket League and League of Legends.
“Our esports program is one of the top three in the country based on Twitch following – and that’s without this space,” said Jay Souza, assistant vice president of planning and development at Student Success. “Now that we have this space, this is the best facility probably on the East Coast, definitely in the Southeast.”
The new Esports Living Lab not only expands access and promotes personal community building, but also serves as an academic resource for students in the Business of Esports, Digital Content in Esports, and other courses.
“Access to this innovative resource also enables our students to develop important skills and prepare for career opportunities offered by the esports industry, such as business administration, marketing, media production and broadcasting,” Law said.
The space also hosts intercollegiate competitions and educational summer camps for students in grades 1 through 12. It also supports activities by local schools and Cyber Florida – a state-funded center at USF that works to position Florida as a leader in cybersecurity through education, research and outreach.
A representative of Hillsborough County Public Schools, who attended the opening and will introduce the space to local high school students, called the Esports Living Lab “exactly the kind of thing USF should be doing.”
“Our goal for our esports lab is to serve the community,” said Andrew Ross, USF esports coordinator. “You don’t have to be a good player to play here. You don’t have to be on a competitive team to play here. If you like to stand in line with your friends, you can do that here. It’s a place that serves everyone, not just competitive players.”
The excitement reached its peak when USF Provost Prasant Mohapatra and Vice President for Student Success Cindy DeLuca cut the ceremonial ribbon and invited guests to explore the space. Many attendees, including students and alumni, quickly found seats and began testing out the equipment.
“Let the games begin,” said Mohapatra.
Jorge Delgado, a mechanical engineering student and founder of the USF Fighting Game Club, and club president Joshua Proctor, an information science major, said the room would be a huge improvement over the Skypad Gaming Room in the Marshall Student Center.
“This new lab will lead to more community building and connections with other community organizers,” said Proctor, who plays Guilty Gear Strive competitively.
“It’s really good,” said Delgado, who was even more excited about the private broadcast and design room where students can broadcast live esports events and hone their skills as commentators and speakers.
Quick Facts
- 12 USF esports clubs
- 26 USF esports teams in spring 2024
- Temporary spaces were used 3,554 times last year
- 3,500 USF Esports Discord server members
USF Esports Living Lab
- 40 PCs for use by students
- Private gaming room for club teams
- Production studio for student staff in the USF e-sports department
- Four console gaming stations with PlayStations, Xboxes and Nintendo Switches
- Computers, consoles, mice, keyboards, headsets, controllers and mouse pads are provided
- Free for students
On the St. Petersburg campus, students can rent video game consoles from Edge or gather at Cove, a community game room in the University Student Center, to play games and hold club meetings. A new game room on the ground floor of the Campus Student Center and Atala Residence Hall at USF Sarasota-Manatee is now open.
