Last month, NIRSA Executive Director Pam Watts participated in the panel discussion “Elevating Club/Recreation Esports on Campus” as part of the 2020 Esports Business Summit.

The half-hour session (which begins at 1:55:33) features Kathy Chiang, Assistant Director at UCI Esports; Courtney James, Director of Student Involvement at DePaul University; Kirk Robles, Associate Director of Business Development at the University of California, Berkley; and Pam Watts, NIRSA Executive Director. It dives into the quickly expanding world of esports on college campuses. A number of esports programs across the country have started pairing with campus recreation departments to better serve a student body that has demonstrated a real desire for community through gaming. Particularly in the midst of a pandemic, esports offers students an opportunity to participate in recreation programming safely.

NIRSA Championship Series Esports Task Force

In September, given how the COVID-19 pandemic severely affected the fall tournament season, the NIRSA Championship Series appointed an Esports Task Force. The task force was charged with creating an opportunity for participants to come together as a team and, more importantly, as a community in a time when a little competition and fun is sorely needed.