Ohio State to host first big Esports Championship this weekend

Jacy Shilot
Fri, 12 Apr 2024 00:45:36 +0000
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Ohio State will make history this weekend as they host the first-ever Big Esports Championship Tournament at The Ohio State University Esports Arena located at Lincoln Tower and the Game Arena located at 1556 N. High St.?Credit: Courtesy of Ellie Earwood

Ohio State is well known in the Big Ten Conference. Now it’s ready to pave the way for its gaming counterpart.

The first-ever Big Esports Conference Championship tournament will be held on and across campus this weekend with 16 schools competing in four video games: Valorant, Overwatch, Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The teams will play at both the Esports Arena in Lincoln Tower and the Game Arena, located at 1556 N. High St.

The BEC, which was started in September, is made up of Big Ten schools and is the first collegiate conference for competitive video games. The championship will cap off its 15-week regular season and will feature over 200 competitors, according to John Price, the esports manager at Ohio State.

Richard Rathjens, the associate director of recreational sports at Ohio State, said it is an honor to have BEC’s first season wrap up at Ohio State.

“To be able to host it here certainly for the first time, we’re very proud of that fact, but it’s a big production,” Rathjens said. “It’s a big undertaking, and we’re excited to kick things off here pretty quickly.”

Although there are no cash prizes, which are common at other video game tournaments, Price said the championship will have plenty of stakes.

“This is that opportunity to be the best in the conference, period,” Price said.

A large student presence is expected, not only for the 200 students in front of the camera but for those behind the scenes as well, Price said.

“The people you see on the broadcast — not only the ones that are gonna be at the desks and doing the color commentary or play-by-play —- but also everyone that’s behind them, are going to be students here working with the technology putting on this broadcast,” Price said. “It’s one of the best things about events like this. It’s not just the competitors that are being involved in this in one way or another, but it’s also students that are providing this backbone that really makes these events possible.”

Although viewers can’t attend the championship in person, Price said students can watch via livestream. The championship tournament, which will start around 9 a.m., on Friday and Saturday, will be streamed via Twitch.

“This is an activity that is rapidly growing and shows no sign of stopping,” Price said. “And I think if people want to see literal history in the making, tuning in would be a great idea because this is kind of a great example of where the beginning of the Big Ten Conference esports has kind of started in a way, so it’s exciting.”