With a new e-sports arena, UC Irvine aims to become a mecca for gamers

The new team at UC Irvine is suiting up for battle in a recently furnished arena on campus, where members will gear up with headphones, a keyboard and mouse. UC Irvine this month opened its e-sports arena, which is equipped with 80 computers and will be frequented by the school's new team competing in the "League of Legends" game. E-sports, or electronic sports, are multiplayer video game experiences and competitions in which players play against one another through a digital platform. "When people like to watch professional basketball or football, people also want to watch the best gamers in the world play against the other best gamers in the world," said Jesse Wang, president of UC Irvine's Assn. of Gamers, a student group. In a collective effort from the association, the school's admissions department, Student Affairs and UC Irvine's e-sports acting Director Mark Deppe, the university was able to recruit five of the team's players, who are receiving about 15,000 worth of scholarships.