Game Changers: Women-only esports team does well in premiere competition

Sydney Lim, who is on pace to earn degrees in marketing and business economics in December, considers herself an avid gamer. Yet Lim 说 she was hesitant to step into the 湖人电子竞技中心 when that facility opened two years ago in the Kirkhof Center.

"The first semester it opened, I looked in there and it seemed to be all guys playing, so I walked by," Lim 说. "Later that semester I was craving to play, plus the center's computers have great specs for gaming. 我想，‘也许吧 I go in, other girls will see me in there and maybe they will be more willing to go in there.'"

Lim's inclination to step into the center aligns with the esports program’s value of inclusion. 现在是赞助的 organization housed in 娱乐与健康, the 湖人电子竞技中心 has intentionally hosted women-only game nights and recruited women and students from diverse genders to play on 团队 or during drop-in hours, according to Riley Long, an assistant director for 娱乐与健康, who oversees the esports program.

Those efforts have proved fruitful. Lim和其他 members of the Game Changers, an esports team composed of women, finished second in the National Association of Collegiate Esports’ Varsity Plus Valorant Conference. 

Sponsoring a Game Changers team is unique in the collegiate esports world, as most programs have all-male or co-ed 团队. Only once did the team play other Game Changer 团队 and Lim 说 that was a tournament sponsored by Valorant.

Long 说 the center's intentionality toward inclusion spills over to its goals of aiding the university's recruitment and 保留的努力. The growth of the center has allowed Long to hire part-time coaches for its premiere league 团队. 

A new studio, in partnership with the School of Communications, has allowed the esports program to livestream premier team matches multiple days per week. 该节目主持了 and broadcast two high school events this year. 朗说他已经 hired more student employees to broadcast and announce matches, in addition to serving in other support roles.