© 2025 WOSU Public Media
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Kent State Considers Varsity Program for eSports

 Kent State's campus.
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
Kent State's campus.
 Kent State's campus.
Credit KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
/
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
Kent State's campus.

Kent State University could be the latest school to add a varsity program for eSports, multiplayer videogame competitions.

Kent State’s Vice President for System Integration, Nathan Ritchey, says the conversation about eSports started last April when the University of Utah announced its program.   

“Our vision is that it involves everyone, and so, you know, it’s one university, and every, any student who would like to be involved at some level of e- sports would be welcome and included.”

Ritchey envisions all campuses coming together to form one big team.

In Ohio, Miami University launched its eSports program in 2016, followed by the University of Akron last December.

Copyright 2021 WKSU. To see more, visit WKSU.

Brandon is a junior journalism major at Kent State University with experience in broadcast, print, visual, radio and digital journalism. During the school year, Bounds works for student media with TV2 and The Kent Stater/Kentwired. Additionally, Bounds is a rising fellow for the Carnegie-Knight national News21 program for the upcoming summer.
Cameron Gorman is a junior journalism major at Kent State. In student media, she has worked for the Kent Stater, The Burr and Transitions. She has also interned for WKYC, Cleveland Magazine and the Akron Beacon Journal.