HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — A new esports facility at Northern Kentucky University has opened doors for students to competitively play video games and even receive scholarships.
The Sandbox is a facility that serves as an innovation lab and an arena for esports, a form of competition through video games.
Clubs compete against other teams across the country. The following games have competitive teams within the NKU Esports Club:
- League of Legends
- Rocket League
- Hearthstone
- Valorant
- Call of Duty
The Rocket League team won a $75,000 grant from the Success by Design Innovation Challenge to construct The Sandbox in the spring of 2020.
Freshman Kylie Griffey, who plays on the Overwatch team, said esports gave her a chance to connect with other students during the pandemic.
“I think it gives a lot of opportunities for students who don't know if they can afford things in college or they're worried about different payments or worried about they won't be able to do the things they love … It's also going to be a great way for me to go especially with everything that's going on the pandemic,” Griffey said.
Competition for e-sports will resume in the fall. Click here for information about NKU Esports.
