MUNCIE, Ind. (NewsLink) - Robert Bell’s testing lab is about to become the new home for the new Cardinal E-sports team.
As you walk by the new arena, the first thing students will see is post-it note art by the E-sports club. The room will house the new stadium area for competition, with a new raised ceiling and HVAC system that will be able to keep all the game system cool. The space will also double as a classroom, lounge, and office space.
“We want to make sure the technology we have in there is top of the line, cutting edge because our students deserve everything we can provide them,” said Paaige Turner, the Dean of the College of Communication, Information, and Media.
The new area will be paid for through corporate and individual sponsorships, small usage fees from students, and money from the Strategic Imperative Fund.
The room has made it possible for vertical and horizontal integration prospects, Turner explained. It will provide space for recreational use, semi-competitive players, and varsity level players. Those who have direct involvement with the E-sports team and its operations are partnering with every academic college in the university.
“We know that E-sports involves issues of health. It involves issues of marketing. It involves programming. It involves educational opportunities. So we are really committed to that horizontal and vertical integration,” said Turner
The arena will open sometime during the 2021-2022 academic school year.
