Good Game

The space was vital not only for its social component, but for the career development opportunities it could offer as well.

“Anyone can gain a professional advantage from gaming,” Kuhn adds, regardless of whether they’re interested in the gaming industry as a career. “Our competitors spend hours critically analyzing their opponents’ videos, honing complex strategies and problem-solving as teams.”

The OHIO Esports Arena’s collaborative culture attracts an increasingly diverse pool of campus gamers. Women now comprise at least 25% of OHIO’s varsity team and more than 40% of its club teams, largely driven by a club of self-proclaimed “Gamer Gals.”

The positive impact of OHIO Esports ripples out through community outreach events: On April 5 and 6, OHIO will host regional playoffs for the Esports Ohio league, drawing 200 high school gamers from across the state.

Best of all, OHIO Esports students gain friends and connections for life. “Normally, you’re in a campus club, you graduate, and you lose touch,” says Kuhn. “But with esports, alumni stay involved.”

Vaideeswaran currently counts 300-plus alumni active on the OHIO Esports Discord server. “They watch our streams and come to tournaments,” she says. “It is actually a great networking resource for post-graduation.”

Until then, Vaideeswaran sees friendly faces from the OHIO Esports Arena everywhere on campus. “We definitely break social and professional barriers,” she says, “and that’s only going to grow.”

Feature photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02