Starting on Monday, UBC students will have access to a brand new sporting facility with $100,000 worth of equipment, but one that will see far more people sitting down than running around.
It’s a gaming lounge with rows of high-end, high-speed computers for online gaming.
“Our goal was to provide a space first and foremost for people to enjoy, to improve student life, because that’s the point of creating something new on campus,” said Victor Ho, president of the UBC eSports Association.
At 800 members, UBC has the biggest eSports club in Canada.
Almost 50 of the association’s members compete at an elite level, travelling around North America for tournaments, including ones where thousands watch teams fight for millions of dollars. UBC’s team, some of whom practice upwards of four hours per day, has won $500,000 so far.
The association hopes its popularity will continue to grow with the lounge open to all UBC students between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays. In fact, the group is already looking for a bigger space.
“We really want to promote online gaming and eSports,” Ho said.
-With files from Lynn Colliar