OTC Esports

The OTC Esports Program is a community dedicated to uniting students interested in competitive gaming. We have two teams that offer different gaming experiences: the Club Team and the Competitive Team.

The OTC Esports Club Team provides students with the opportunity to play and learn from competitive members in a friendly environment. The OTC Competitive Esports Team is one of the 130 varsity programs in North America and is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), which offers competitive esports events at the intercollegiate level.

Team members practice and play in the new esports arena as they learn from a coaching staff dedicated to their success. Join us to take your game to the next level. Our top players earn a scholarship of up to $1000 annually.

If you’re interested in joining one of our teams, please fill out one of the forms below for your game of choice. OTC is currently competing in:

Learn more about our Competitive and Club Teams and check out the team on Twitch at https://twitch.tv/otcesports.

Hours of Operation

Recreational time to use the esports arena is available to all current OTC students, faculty, and staff during the following hours:

Monday – Friday

9 am – 3 pm

 

Hours of availability can vary around the team’s competition schedule and/or required maintenance. Changes to the posted schedule will be announced in Discord

Facilities

FAQs

What is esports?

Esports is competitive gaming using video games on various platforms, most often in the form of organized, multiplayer competitions. An esports program consists of several teams participating in specific game titles. Players usually focus on only one game but can play additional titles depending on skill and schedule.

How popular is esports?

The global esports market generated 696 million dollars in revenue in the last year with a global fan base of 385 million people.

Why should I participate in esports?

Esports is an extracurricular activity where students can find a larger community of like-minded peers. Students learn valuable skills playing esports such as how to participate in a team sport, strategic thinking, time management, and managing success and failure.

Where is the esports arena?

OTC’s esports arena is on the Springfield campus, Information Commons West room 117.

What gaming platforms does our esports arena have?

The OTC Esports Arena features Nintendo Switch consoles with a variety of games as well as 12 high-end gaming PCs from MSI with the following specifications: Intel Core i9 3.5 GHz, 16 GB of RAM, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080 10G GDDR6X. We also have a table for tabletop or card games.

Who is eligible to compete?

OTC’s co-ed esports program is open to full-time students who are in good standing with the college and have at least a 2.0 grade-point average (GPA). If the student is not 18 years of age or older, a parent or guardian’s permission will be required.

Additionally, players will be required to practice for a set number of hours and manage other esports-related responsibilities.

What is the difference between club and competition teams?

The OTC Esports Club Team is designed to support avid video game fans and help you connect with people who share your love of video games. Esports Club Team members will have the opportunity to play and learn from our competition team members in a competitive, yet friendly, environment. OTC’s Competitive Esports Team competes through the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE).

Both teams have weekly practices and games throughout the season, opportunities for in-person events, LANs, and compete for prizes in tournaments. Students must meet academic and time commitment requirements to be part of the competitive team.

Will there scholarships available?

Yes. OTC offers scholarships of up to $1,000 annually for competitive esports players.

What games does OTC Esports compete in?

OTC focuses on games that are team-based and can easily support inter-school competition. Games for competition are selected based on popularity, the ability to participate in league/tournament play and suitable content. The final selection criteria will be determined in conjunction with other institutions and/or leagues.

You can learn about which games and team formats we currently compete in on our Team Info page.

If you would like to suggest a game, please complete the Interest Form.

How can I join the team?

Tryouts will be scheduled, if necessary, based on the number of students who sign up to compete and which games are chosen for our competition season. Information about team information sessions can be found on the Team Information page and posted in the OTC Esports Discord.

Will there be travel games?

Most competitions will occur online and require no travel. As the program develops, we plan to travel occasionally for tournaments. In those cases, the team will travel as a group and student-athletes would incur little or no expense.

Are there any costs for students participating in esports?

At this time, there are no costs for students who are participating on an esports team.

Is the esports facility open to the student body?

We want every enrolled OTC student to have access to the esports facility and offer open recreational hours to students and employees. We especially encourage those who may have had little to no access to some of the gaming systems we have to use the facility during these hours. We do our best to ensure the space is serving as many students as possible.

Hours of availability for the esports facility are posted on the OTC Esports homepage and in the Discord.

Can I bring my own equipment or games to the esports arena?

You may bring and use personal games or equipment of limited size that does not display profane visuals or words if approved by the staff. OTC and the esports arena staff are not responsible for loss, theft or damage of personal equipment brought to the arena.

All games played in the Gaming Center must be rated T for Teen or below by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. You may not play or install any games in the arena that fall outside of our content guidelines.

Interest Form

If you are interested in playing club or varsity esports at OTC, please click the button below to fill out the interest form.

Contact Us

Additional questions can be answered in the FAQs or by using the form below.