UCI Esports strives to find success in all of our five pillars of Competition, Academics & Research, Community, Entertainment, and Careers. Because of our broad focus and competitive success, UCI is widely regarded as the gold standard in college esports. Hundreds of schools and universities around the world look to emulate what we have created here. And while our program has made significant strides in its first two years, we still have room to grow and improve. As UCI Esports is self-supporting, your contribution will be greatly appreciated and critical to pursuing our goals and remaining the best college esports program in the world.
Competition: We have scholarship teams for both League of Legends and Overwatch, two of the most popular esports in the world. We provide the coaching and support staff necessary to regularly compete for championships. We also support our successful club teams and celebrate their success. We recently competed in the Fiesta Bowl Overwatch National Championships, UCI’s first-ever bowl game.
Academics & Research: Our program actively supports our world-class games scholars, connecting them to a large population of both elite and recreational gamers. We fund undergraduate research through UROP (Link). We host an annual conference to bring top academics together to talk about the latest research in esports.
Community: UCI has a massive community of gamers and our gaming clubs are among the largest student organizations on campus. We provide space, resources, and mentorship for the clubs to flourish. Additionally, UCI Esports is leading the conversations around inclusive excellence and became the first esports organization to create an Inclusivity Plan to support the involvement of underrepresented communities in esports.
Entertainment: We hire and train UCI students to broadcast our matches live online. Our on-air talent - shoutcasters - provide live play-by-play and color commentary while other students run the production behind the camera. We also host live events and tournaments in our arena. Located in the heart of the Student Center, our world class arena is a model facility that supports all five pillars of our program. Check out the video with a tour of our space.
Careers: As leaders in college esports, we are uniquely suited for connecting our students to internships and careers in the video game and esports industries. We host events, panel discussions, and offer networking opportunities for our students and local gamers. We have also created over 80 paid student positions within our program to help our staff develop industry skills and acquire great work experience before graduation.
We’re proud of our program but you don’t have to take our word for it. Check out what other people are saying about our program:
