Friday, January 27, 2023
No Result
View All Result
Esports Grizzly
  • Home
  • Industry
  • GamesUpdates!
    • Call of Duty
    • CS:GO
    • Dota 2
    • FIFA
    • Hearthstone
    • League of Legends
    • NBA 2K League
    • Overwatch
    • Rocket League
    • StarCraft II
    • Valorant
  • Esports Betting SitesNew
    • Bitcasino Esports Review | Evil Geniuses’ Home Esports Bookmaker
    • Sportsbet.io Esports Review
    • Cloudbet Esports Review | Is Cloudbet Legit?
    • Dogecoin Esports Betting Sites
    • Luckbox Review (2021) – Is Luckbox Esports Safe?
    • Betway Esports Review
    • GG.Bet Esports Review | League of Legends, Dota 2 and CS:GO
    • Rivalry Esports Review
    • Pinnacle Esports Review
  • Blog
  • Newsletter
  • About us
  • Contact
Friday, January 27, 2023
No Result
View All Result
Esports Grizzly
No Result
View All Result

nick-sutton-wsc-college-esports-coordinator

Image credit: Nick Sutton

Wayne State College Esports Coordinator Nick Sutton: “Esports IS the Next Big Thing”

in College Esports, Q&A
June 24, 2021

Nick Sutton is Wayne State College's esports coordinator and a well-seasoned player himself. He has pursued esports in his personal life as well as academia for years now and he has hands-on coaching experience. Today, he's in charge of WSC's esports program, helping the college build from the grounds up and add to its list of accomplishments. In our conversation with Nick, we take a look at what his duties are and what the particular focus on esports is at WSC.

Q:  Nick, can you run us through Wayne State College's esports program, what your focus is and how far you have come so far?

A: We are a 1st year program just finishing our second season in the ECAC Esports League. Our focus as a program is to provide an opportunity for students to take their gaming to the next level. With a new state of the art esports arena called “The Den” students can try out for a team and compete in several different intercollegiate competitions.

So far, we have had over 150 students interested in our program and consistently have about 50 players on our program roster. We field teams for Valorant, Rocket League, Fortnite, Hearthstone, Overwatch, Super Smash Bros., and League of Legends. In our first ECAC Esports season we had 2 teams make it to grand finals, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros. Both teams finished runner-up in their respective titles.

We had 9 out of 11 teams make playoffs and were awarded the Inaugural ECAC Esports Commissioners Cup. The Commissioners Cup goes to the ECAC Esports member whose esports program achieved the most broad-based success across all nine game titles. I have no doubt that this program will continue to find success as it continues to grow here at Wayne State College.

Q: You have been supporting esports for at least three years now. Can you tell us a little more about how esports has changed on a college/school level over the years you have been involved?

A: When I started getting involved in collegiate competition back in 2016, most programs were still at the student club level. This included the now national collegiate tournaments that are hosted for the big esports game titles such as Rocket League, Overwatch, and Hearthstone.

“Our focus as a program is to provide an opportunity for students to take their gaming to the next level.”

Nick Sutton

Back then it was organized by student club presidents and students were still competing from their dorm. Over the course of the next 3-4 years, I watched club teams grow into full scale programs that included full-time staff members, dedicated coaches, and top of the line esports arenas.

This progression was expected based on the amount of growing interest I had seen with each year that passed. It seemed that every new freshman class had more and more players that were looking to get into collegiate esports. In addition to that, several high school leagues are now starting to form, offering varsity, JV, and club teams. This is still just the beginning.

Q: Can we expect college esports to get bigger?

A: Without a doubt, collegiate esports IS the next big thing. The spotlight was moved to esports during the emergence of COVID-19 which I believe also helped raise awareness of what esports is and the values it has to offer a campus community.

However, it was only a matter of time before the esports wave was going to sweep across the nation. We are still on the front end of the movement, which baffles me because the collegiate esports scene is already booming with different leagues and national competition.

“Without a doubt, collegiate esports IS the next big thing.”

Nick Sutton

Each season there are more schools creating esports programs and joining leagues such as the ECAC or NACE who are both leading organizers of collegiate competition. I have watched the national competitions for select game titles evolve over the past few years as well. CRL (Collegiate Rocket League) now hosts their own national tournament with a prize pool of $75,000 in scholarships.

The prize pools are growing for all game titles, making the stakes higher, and the competition heavier. I envision seeing some of the best esports professionals emerge from collegiate esports in the next 5 years.

Q: Many of the competitive challenges these days reward scholarships, has this been an incentive to players to perform better?

A: Ultimately, I think yes, it does provide the incentive. However, after meeting several different players, what drives them the most is their competitive mindset. Although some may not see it this way, esports players are athletes and they want to win no matter what the stakes are.

It takes a lot of dedication, time, and practice to reach the top rank in a game and compete consistently at a high level. It becomes more about the game and less about the money. Any opportunity to provide scholarships to players, however, is incredible. Whether it be a prize pool or a scholarship to compete for a university, each can be extremely rewarding to a player.

Q: What is the main challenge to scaling any esports program in your opinion?

A: One of the most common challenges I have both experienced and seen in other programs is receiving the initial investment to build a space or an arena. With collegiate esports there is no quick financial ROI, but rather a new opportunity for current and incoming students. It can be difficult to explain to a university’s administration office why you would need 100K+ for an arena so students can play video games.

As of right now that is still the state esports is at, and it is important that we continue to spread awareness of esports and define the difference between competitive and casual play. Luckily at Wayne State College the administration was immediately on board when the idea was brought up, however for some student clubs it can be difficult to gain traction and get the funding necessary to build a space or compete in leagues that have dues.

“One of the most common challenges I have both experienced and seen in other programs is receiving the initial investment to build a space or an arena.”

Nick Sutton

This is a critical factor when trying to recruit players for collegiate teams, as most of them now are looking at esports programs and what they have to offer. Having a full-scale program with an arena most likely grabs a larger amount of interest than a student-run club that competes from their dorms.

Q: Do the skills picked in WSC's esports program have real-world applications beyond esports?

A: Absolutely, we try and maximize our player and community involvement with the program. We have student worker positions that provide hands on experience with graphic design, team coaching/management, stat reporting, shout casting, and streaming.  There is a growing demand in all these areas in the esports industry. As esports event production continues to refine itself, several event organizations are looking for individuals with experience in these unique fields.

Q: What do you want to see next as part of your college's program? A: We are proving to be extremely competitive already as a program. Wayne State has a top-tier player pool to choose from amongst its student body. As a coach, I would like to see scholarship opportunities arise for the recruitment and retention of these high-level competitors. To maximize campus involvement, I am also hoping for an expansion of our esports arena within the next few years. Being able to provide more equipment allows for more teams to compete, and more opportunities for players to get hands-on experience within our program.

Tags: Nick SuttonQ&AWayne State College
Stoyan TodorovbyStoyan Todorov
Tags: Nick SuttonQ&AWayne State College
Home » Wayne State College Esports Coordinator Nick Sutton: “Esports IS the Next Big Thing”
ShareShareTweetShareSend
league-of-legends-clash-between-champions
Blog

Betting on League of Legends: Top 5 Sites to Wager Using Bitcoin

by Papa Bear
September 15, 2022

Few games have captured the hearts of the wider audiences quite like Riot Games’ masterpiece League of Legends has. The...

Read more
overwatch-female-characters
Opinion

Women in Esports: How Esports Are Moving Towards a More Inclusive Future

by Stefan Velikov
October 25, 2021

Gaming has long been regarded as something reserved for nerdy boys. As times change women join in on the fun...

Read more
v-bucks-currency-in-fortnite
Blog

Bitcoin Esports: Best Crypto Esports Betting Sites

by Alexander Todorov
January 23, 2022

Bitcoin esports betting is on the rise. The idea of placing wagers on your favorite esports teams is an experience...

Read more

Latest and Popular

rocket-league-college-spring-season-2021
College Esports

A Young Athlete from Alabama Earned a Scholarship Thanks to His Esports Successes

by Stefan Velikov
April 15, 2022
call-of-duty-modern-warfare-guerilla-attacking-soldier-with-pickaxe
College Esports

Collegiate CoD Player Accidently Exposes Himself Cheating on Monitor Cam

by Stefan Velikov
March 30, 2022
cecc-collegiate-esports
College Esports

ESPORTSU Reveals Plans for Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup in Atlanta

by Stefan Velikov
March 9, 2022
official-university-of-arizona-esports-logo
College Esports

The University of Arizona Unveils New Esports Program

by Stefan Velikov
March 4, 2022

Next Post
the-official-featured-logo-of-rivalry-gg-betting-platform

Rivalry Taps OLGC Boss to Boost Company's Gambling Expansion

eSports Grizzly Mobile Dark
eSports Grizzly Mobile Dark

Content Categories

  • Blog
  • Call of Duty
  • College Esports
  • Consoles
  • Cosplay
  • Counter Strike
  • DOTA 2
  • FGC
  • Fortnite
  • Gaming
  • Halo
  • Hearthstone
  • Industry
  • League of Legends
  • Mobile Legends
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Overwatch
  • Popular
  • PUBG
  • Q&A
  • Rainbow Six Siege
  • Rocket League
  • Streamers
  • Uncategorized
  • Valorant

Recent Posts

  • Team Vitality’s Kaiser Shares His Thoughts on the LEC 2023
  • How Will Kiriko’s Latest Nerf Change the Way She’s Played?
  • Players Don’t Seem to Like League’s Patch 13.1B Yuumi Nerfs

About Esports Grizzly

We bring you the best Premium esports content from around the globe.

Our FREE weekly newsletter

Keep in the loop with our minimalist weekly newsletter. Subscribe today!

GET IN TOUCH

Esports Grizzly reports on the latest industry and gaming intelligence, Want to pitch in? Get in touch!

  • Home
  • About us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact

© 2021 Esports Grizzly - Your daily BITE of global esports

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Industry
  • Games
    • Call of Duty
    • CS:GO
    • Dota 2
    • FIFA
    • Hearthstone
    • League of Legends
    • NBA 2K League
    • Overwatch
    • Rocket League
    • StarCraft II
    • Valorant
  • Esports Betting Sites
    • Bitcasino Esports Review | Evil Geniuses’ Home Esports Bookmaker
    • Sportsbet.io Esports Review
    • Cloudbet Esports Review | Is Cloudbet Legit?
    • Dogecoin Esports Betting Sites
    • Luckbox Review (2021) – Is Luckbox Esports Safe?
    • Betway Esports Review
    • GG.Bet Esports Review | League of Legends, Dota 2 and CS:GO
    • Rivalry Esports Review
    • Pinnacle Esports Review
  • Blog
  • Newsletter
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2021 Esports Grizzly - Your daily BITE of global esports

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.