Augusta University (AU) has added to its sports lineup, but not in the traditional sense. This team does not need to even step outside, and it is calling for new members.
AU’s Esports program is based in the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center, complete with a dedicated room as an arena for activities. It provides opportunities to participate in competitive esports leagues and tournaments using a shared passion for video games to meet other students.
Esports at AU had gone dormant following the 2019-2020 season. It was revived in 2023. The program is observing the university’s summer semester, but the program is gearing up for the start of the Fall 2025 semester in early September. Noah Bowers, Esports Coordinator in the Department of Campus Recreation, said in addition to returning members, he is looking for new players.
“There are always new students coming in in the fall that are brand new to Augusta University, might be brand new to Augusta, have never heard of us, but they might play video games,” he said. “It’s pretty much open trials. Anybody can join the Discord (an online chat also available through its app), communicate with people that are already on the team, get to know some of the other students that are here on campus, and start playing games together.”
AU Esports currently offers varsity and junior varsity team rosters and will begin official tryouts for new members in August.
“We’re going to have a lot of rosters this semester. We’re going to have a simulated racing team, a Marvel rivals’ team, an Apex Legends team, a Valorant team, and a Rocket League team,” he told ABD. “Some of those might have two teams, depending on how many people apply and the skill levels associated with those students.”
Bowers said the esports program is not just for students in computer-related study areas. The only requirement is a desire to play video games with a team.
“We have a lot of people in biology, in the medical field. We have a lot of people in the computer science and cyber school. I think we have a couple of humanities students. We have a couple of art students,” he said. “It’s shown to me since I started the program, that gaming is so universal, it’s so diverse. There are so many people from every branch of education that play video games that all of them can potentially be interested in eSports.”
The program has developed a partnership with the university’s Kinesiology Department to offer an Esports Business Management course through the new sports management degree.
“We also have an Esports production class in our communication schools. That’s in the Pamplin College. That’s going to be geared more towards live production, broadcast highlights, interviews, very traditional sports media, but geared towards the internet, online world,” said Bowers.
Other universities fielding teams in the PBC include Kennesaw State, the University of North Georgia, and Georgia Tech. At some universities, the team is a student-run organization or a club. Those teams lack the type of faculty support and official recognition that AU’s team has.
“They might not have someone that can negotiate with the higher-ups, the executives in the university, to get them a room like this, an arena, new equipment, because they’re just students. But that’s not the case here at Augusta University,” said Bowers. “They take it very seriously, and I’ve been very grateful for how much support we’ve been given, especially from the higher-ups. They recognize that this is something to be taken seriously, and they want to give us the resources we need to succeed.”
Video games and esports have become a multi-billion-dollar industry. A recent report said the esports market in the U.S. is currently $2.55 billion. It is projected to grow to $18.85 billion by 2035. ABD is studying the report and will have details in part two.
For more information about the AU Esports Team and upcoming tryouts, go to
www.augusta.edu/campus-recreation/esports.php
