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Starting this fall, the University of Pikeville in Kentucky will offer 20 students scholarships playing the video game League of Legends, which now only two colleges in the America recognize as a varsity sport - or eSport. Joining the first college to offer the scholarship, Robert Morris University in Chicago, Pikeville is getting in on the ground floor of a cultural phenomenon that is sweeping the world. Will other colleges follow now that there is another university excepting gamers as athletes?
Check out more gaming news right here!
"It's actually becoming a worldwide trend," New Media Director Bruce Parsons said, according to WKYT.com (via IGN). "This game is five on five competitive play. It takes skill, practice and a lot of teamwork. I think there are going to be a lot of students, both nationwide and international, who are going to look at our university who wouldn't have before."
We should explain that, just like other athletic programs at a collegiate level, the eSports participants are held to high standards, with academic goals having to be met while taking part in the activity. These students wont just be playing video games for free.
Parsons added: "It will be a regime a lot like athletics. They'll have to have a certain GPA. We'll look at them like student athletes. There will be practice time and video time when they have to study other teams for upcoming competitions. What makes a good League of Legends player and eSports player also makes a good student."
The new scholarship players at the University of Pikesville will join 230 other universities and colleges taking part and competing in the Collegiate StarLeague. This eSports collective announced the exciting Pikeville news this week as well!
Check out ESPN2's coverage of the eSports news surrounding Robert Morris' scholarship last year right here:
Let us know what you think of this news in the comments section below!
