On April 12, Missouri State University hosted the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Esports Championship. I know for many of you, that sentence may have no meaning. But it’s important to us as a university campus vying for an esports title.

What’s esports?

Esports is organized, competitive video gaming. It’s a fast-growing area where students compete in various popular esports titles representing their schools, just like traditional sports teams.

What’s esports at Missouri State?

The three main areas of esports at Missouri State includes MSU varsity teams, MSU esports Club and the esports major discipline.

In April 2024, the Missouri State esports team went to Illinois State University and competed in the first-ever MVC Esports conference playoffs. The team finished second overall.

In fall 2024, Missouri State began offering 16 scholarships for students to represent the university in the MVC esports league, underscoring the growing significance of competitive gaming in higher education.

Missouri State has three competing teams, totaling 16 students. Each student receives a $1,500 scholarship. The students practice and compete in the Plaster Student Union’s (PSU) Level 1 Game Center. The students compete in Overwatch, Rocket League and Super Smash Brothers Ultimate. PSU Director Terry Weber is the esports advisor.

Besides the championship, Missouri State will host esports camps this summer, offering young aspiring players a chance to sharpen their skills and experience competitive gaming firsthand. Each camp features STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)-accredited programming led by university coaches and athletes.

As noted above, it’s not just a competitive opportunity. In July 2024, Missouri State began offering an esports studies graduate certificate as a kinesiology program within the McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS). An esports major was added in fall 2024, also within kinesiology. The courses range from sports management to gaming to psychology and include marketing and entrepreneurship classes.

So, how did we fare in the April 12 championship? Over 150 people attended the tournament. We received praise from the three other competing institutions for our setup, support and event execution.

Our Missouri State teams won two of the four championships (Overwatch and Super Smash Brothers). Both have qualified to compete in the national playoffs in Texas. Super Smash will head to the Collegiate Esports Commissioners Cup playoffs with 96 teams nationwide from May 1-5 in Arlington. Overwatch follows with the Scholastic Esports Championship from May 9-11 in San Antonio. What a great experience for our teams!

Thanks to Terry for his work with the teams and the program, and Dr. Dee Siscoe, vice president for student affairs, for her support. Also, thanks to MCHHS Dean Dr. Mark Smith and senior instructor Zachary Burt for the innovative esports degree and certificate opportunities.

Thanks for checking in. It’s a great day to be an e-Bear!

Biff