Fisher College became the first school in Boston to elevate esports to varsity last fall.
The new esports teams on campus earned top titles in 21 championships in their first season, including a first place win in Super Smash Brothers Ultimate.
Video game streaming platforms like Twitch created huge audiences and prize pools in the millions for gamers. Among the prizes are scholarship opportunities. Emerging from the fringes of dorm culture over the past decade, esports programs have gained popularity on college campuses across the US.
“Esports can be a great segue into STEM fields,” said Robert Melaragni, the vice president of Enrollment Management at Fisher College. Varsity esports encourage gamers to gain qualifications that will professionalize their skill set.
The esports program brought more than 90 new students to Fisher College, and about half of them are studying online. Many of these new students are pursuing careers in computer related fields like Cyber Security, Game Development, and Information Systems.
“In this program’s infancy, there’s a lot of runway for growth and exploration,” said Melaragni. The program will continue to “add games as players are evolving and emerging, and sunset the ones that aren’t so popular.”
Two cornerstone games in most esports programs are the first person shooter Overwatch and the multiplayer online battle arena game League of Legends where players work together to infiltrate another team’s base.
Fisher has ten teams for games including Overwatch and League of Legends, each with its own coach and a unique roster of players. Nine of those teams at Fisher are currently ranked in the top five nationally.
The school’s developing esports arena presented a few logistical challenges upfront, such as increased internet bandwidth. But Fisher has no plans to change the school’s footprint to further expand the program, Melaragni said. He expects 25 to 30 new students to join each year, as older students graduate.
Rows of desks lined with monitors, headsets and top of the line computer equipment fill a computer lab and connected classroom, looking out from the second floor of Fisher’s Beacon Street facade.
“We’re not putting together a mercenary team,” said Aaron Colaiacomo, the assistant director of Esports. “We’re looking to create an ecosystem of players who are not only going to be successful while they’re in college, but also when they get out of college.”
The esports program recruits gamers like Aabid “Abbs” Chaudhry. Abbs enrolled in Fisher for the opportunity to play at the varsity level. An Information Systems major, at 23 years old Abbs said, “I’m old by Overwatch standards. They look for young talent.”
Abbs started playing in 2019 on “a potato” laptop using the lowest graphics settings. Some games take 100 gigabytes or more of space to run properly. Overwatch is less demanding.
Last fall Abbs’ team at Fisher placed 3rd in the Overwatch Collegiate Homecoming 2022 Playoffs. They won $7,000, which they split evenly.
“As with any student athlete on campus, they’re here primarily to get a degree,” said Janet Kuser, vice president of Academic Affairs. “It’s been a good addition to our college.”
In the evening after classes, students trek past her office, and up the staircase to gather in two large rooms at several rows of desks. There they log in and begin to play. “I think some of them are up there all night,” said Kuser.
