Our mission is to create an environment which allows students to find community, gain teamworking skills and grow in a genuine way that promotes Samford’s faith-based mission—in game and in real life.
Facilities
Students will be welcomed to a facility with high-end gaming workstations, the latest consoles, comfortable gaming chairs, and dedicated network connections designed with performance in mind. Both seasoned gamers and new gamers will enjoy using the Samford Esports facility.
The facility will be open 7 days a week and includes 12 individual gaming stations and three group console gaming stations available for reservation as well as a competition gaming area with 12 gaming stations and a shoutcast booth.
Hardware
Computers
The university has purchased 24 cutting edge HP Omen 45L gaming PCs.
- Intel® Core™ i7-13700K CPU
- 32 GB DDR5 RAM
- NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4080 GPU
Consoles
The university has also purchased current generation Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and Playstation 5 gaming consoles. Game controllers, including Xbox Adaptive Controllers for students with physical disabilities, are available on loan while in the facility.
Competition
We are looking to begin competition starting in the Spring semester.
Titles we are looking to potentially compete in include Valorant, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Overwatch 2, Rocket League, Fortnite, and League of Legends. Competing students will go through similar flows found in traditional sports.
Tryouts
We will hold a series of tryouts leading into the Spring season.
Academic Standards
Similar to athletic teams, students will be required to maintain minimum academic standards to remain elibible for competition.
Competition
Our teams will regularly play against other teams in competitive leagues – both online and in person.
Competition Suite
Competitions will be held in the state-of-the-art Competition Suite – complete with acoustic seals to maximize noise reduction, room specific climate control, and fully adjustable lighting to ensure a controlled and consistent competitive environment.
Hygienic Requirements
Students are expected to maintain mindful levels of personal hygiene in order to ensure a courteous environment for all.
Practices
Like athletics teams, there will be regular, structured team practices several hours per day, several days per week to build team skill and cooperation.
Physical Training
There will be physical training and exercise requirements. Many studies exist which point to significant performance boosts while players are physically fit. Regular exercise improves general mental health, affords a higher level of controlled breathing, has a positive impact on high stress decision making, improves overall reaction time, and has many other overall positive benefits both in and out of game.
Dietary Recordkeeping
Competitors will be required to keep a record of dietary habits. Similar to exercise, many studies have asserted that a healthier lifestyle leads to a measured improvement in game performance. Healthy diet improves overall alertness, immune system health, sleep schedules, and many other areas which effect a players performance.
