At that time, Harrisburg University’s Esports club was the largest on campus, with over 100 student members. The university began recruiting in April of 2018, came together as a team in August of that year, competed through a series of invitational events in the fall and then formally took to the cyber playing field in January of 2019. “I played video games for a couple of years,” says Darr. “I’ve been aware of competitive video games for years. It seemed like all the forces were converging on ‘now is the time to launch a varsity sport at Harrisburg University,’ and it was Esports. The student interest was there. 8 harrisburg magazine july 2019
“Everything we do, we try to do it in a differentiated way,” adds Darr. “We were thinking of it as a spectator sport. Having the Whitaker Center right next door gave us an opportunity to think of Esports as a spectator sport. The industry is still expanding and it’s not mature. We thought now was the time to get into this. It was all of those things together.” Sure, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology was meeting a need, providing a service students wanted. But there were also inherent benefits for the university. So far, it has been nothing but a win-win situation.
“Why does any university start an athletic program?” asks Darr. “To engage the students and faculty and community. To raise awareness of the university. We were on ESPN for an hour. I couldn’t have bought that type of publicity. Student awareness is up. We’ve been able to raise money through sponsorships. Community engagement and build brand awareness – it’s been a job well done on both of those fronts. “It makes the university more attractive,” continues Darr. “For the kind of student who is interested in Esports, it makes us very attractive. We’re a narrowly-focused institution, and a national champion in Overwatch.” Yet, despite that national championship, the jury is still very much out on the overall success of Harrisburg University’s Esports program. Some more traditional intercollegiate sports have been around for decades, others for centuries. “The structure of collegiate Esports is still very much in flux,” says Darr. “The role of the game publishers and the governing bodies is not yet clear. That will affect the overall playing field of Esports. “At Harrisburg University, I’d like to see it continue to grow and become even bigger,” concludes Darr. “We have an opportunity to be national champions in more game titles. I’d like to defend our national championship in Overwatch. I’d like to see Esports become part of the mainstream media. I’d like the media to pay more attention to Esports.” Only time will tell. 7