Wichita State student Jonathan Gallegos said gamers on campus felt like an afterthought.
The school wasnt really supporting us, Gallegos said.
This semester, the support came. Gallegos is now a varsity athlete.
He competes under Wichita States name against other schools across the country. He practices with teammates in Wichita States new gaming lab a room with computers, headsets, controllers and padded chairs for long gaming sessions.
It makes the university more personalized because I know theyre putting effort into something that I desire to do, Gallegos said.
Esports appear on path to become a billion dollar industry this year. Kansas colleges and universities are turning to competitive video games for many of the same reasons they have physical sports to attract and retain students. The gaming scene offers a cheap and popular way for large and small schools to connect with students and build their loyalty as fans.
More than 1,200 schools are members of Tespa, a collegiate esports governing body. Students compete in leagues, seasons and tournaments similar to traditional college sports. Games include shooters such as Overwatch and Rocket League, soccer with athletes replaced by radio-controlled-style cars.
Esports are a relatively cheap way for schools to compete on a national level. Computers, a solid internet connection and chairs cost significantly less than the travel budget for many sports teams.
Some universities are investing in esports arenas, complete with 40-foot screens for fans to watch the virtual action while the players sit on stage. But for a startup program, a small room, computers and a profile on the game-streaming service Twitch is enough. While Wichita State basketball has a budget in the millions, its esports program is in thousands.
Compared to college football and other collegiate sports that have been around for generations, there is much more room for a school to make a name for itself nationally in esports. Wichita State is looking for inspiration from Boise State Universitys esport program. The university recently built a new downtown venue for its esports team.
Pratt Community College in south-central Kansas has fewer than 1,000 a thousand students. Yet its esport team competes against other schools across the country, including Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin.
It doesnt matter in esports at this point whether you are a junior college or NCAA Division I or II, said Chris Nelson, Pratt Community Colleges esports coach. It does give (students) opportunities in a community college that you would not get otherwise.
Pratt is also holding an esports tournament for high school students, another way to expose the university to possible recruits.
Kansas State University and the University of Kansas have esports clubs. KU has a student lounge dedicated to gaming. Yet neither university has a formal varsity team. Esports boosters blame a generational barrier for the reason more schools havent invested in esports more fully.
Theres a lot of people in administrative positions that maybe dont understand the concepts of esports, said Kevin McCarty, the director of digital media for Kansas State athletics.
