The Ohio State University<\/strong> in Columbus, Ohio announced it will be establishing the “most comprehensive esports program to date” within the institution.<\/span><\/p>\n

The university is planning on building an arena to house its esports teams which will compete in the Electronic Gaming Federation<\/strong> collegiate league, which runs similar to that of leagues like the AVGL<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Deborah M. Grzybowski, Co-Director of Game Studies<\/strong> and Associate Professor<\/strong> said of the arena:\u00a0 \u201cIt will include over 80 seats with computer, console and virtual reality systems, as well as a broadcast booth for students interested in shoutcasting.”<\/span><\/p>\n

A curriculum for undergraduate studies will also be added to offer students diverse career opportunities like coaching, marketing and game development.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aside from supporting competitors and students interesting in pursuing esports as a career, researchers at OSU’s Wexner Medical Center<\/strong> will study the relationships between the brain, bodies and behaviours of esports athletes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

James Onate, Co-director of the Sports Medicine Movement Analysis and Performance Program<\/strong> at\u00a0Ohio State Wexner Medical Center said:\u00a0<\/span>\u201cOhio State is known for high-performance athletics, and esports plays to this strength. The methods are the same as any other sport \u2013 the skills are just different. We have a lot to learn from studying esports athletes, from their exceptional reaction times and rapid decision-making abilities to their physical attributes and health behaviours.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n