There's strategy and skill behind every click when Daemen College Junior, Jay Clark plays “League of Legends.”
“Usually, my friends will come and hang out here for like five or six hours,” Clark said.
He's part of the college's new e-sports team. It's still in its early stages. But, by next fall the team of five students will play the computer game competitively against other teams in the NCAA East Coast Conference. “It's a lot different than how people see video games where it's like someone sitting in their basement,” he explained.
Doctor Greg Nayor is student affairs vice president at Daemen College. He was instrumental in getting the team up and running. “We found a lot of institutions have a lot of e-sports and it's really taken off across the country.”
Critics argue a gaming club, where students sometimes spend hours gaming in front of a computer screen, isn't beneficial to their college education. But, Nayor said otherwise. “There's a lot of skill that goes into it. Organization, hand/eye coordination, problem solving, and communication are all required.”
Nayor said students must attend classes and maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average to stay on the team. In Clark’s case, he said his grades haven't suffered from gaming, which is why his parents haven't pulled the plug so far. “They see the results and while they don't get it to a great degree they're like he's making it work so they kind of let me do as I do,” said Clark.
