Carthage Esports Arena open to all students

The Carthage Esports Arena, home to the Firebirds’ 28th varsity sport and available to all students, is now open on the lower level of the Todd Wehr Center.

Renovations to the former WOH’s Place wrapped up this fall. The brand-new facility includes:

• 24 gaming stations with custom-built PCs by Lenovo.
• more than 30 games loaded onto each station.
• a comfortable and spacious lounge area with seating for 40.
• 6 big-screen televisions, perfect for a movie night with friends.
• a built-in classroom providing a space for studying, club meetings, or game nights.

Competitors for Carthage's first esports team were selected from a series of tryouts this fall. The new arena is now open in the Todd Wehr Center. Academically, students in the new game development program also meet in the arena’s classroom. Carthage offers both a minor and an optional concentration in game development for computer science majors.

The multipurpose facility is generally open from noon to midnight.

“We want to make it functional, and we want more students to come down and use this wonderful space,” says Kevin Palmer, director of esports.

This year kicks off Carthage’s athletic adventure into esports, or competitive video gaming. Selected from a series of tryouts, the coed team consists of 42 student-athletes competing in five different games: Valorant, Rocket League, League of Legends, Overwatch, and Rainbow 6.

“Our athletes are no different than any other collegiate athlete here at Carthage,” Mr. Palmer says.

While esports doesn’t require the same level of physical fitness as other sports, it requires extraordinary mental fitness: quick reflexes, rapid decision-making, and acute analytical skills. Practices consist of perfecting a particular game, watching film, strategizing, and analyzing future opponents.

Mr. Palmer has been pleasantly surprised by the abilities of his athletes and has high hopes for the future.