Academic and Applied Esports Program

Agency: William & Mary (BOV)
Type: Expendable
Fund Name: Academic and Applied Esports Program
Purpose: To provide support for the most pressing needs of the Academic and Applied Esports Program at William & Mary
Fund Administrator: Vice Provost for Academic & International Affairs
Goal: 10,000
Goal Not Met: Continue fundraising
Goal Exceeded: Program upgrades

There is a growing gaming community at W&M and the momentum is palpable. Our Academic & Applied Esports program has already doubled in size during our first two years and has more than 500 active participants. We have plans to provide space, resources, and programming to support the growing number of freshmen, graduate, and transfer students with interest in esports.

We need YOU to help our Academic & Applied Esports program so we can continue to elevate the university’s name recognition on the global stage.

Esports is a thriving billion-dollar industry of competitive video gaming that includes players, spectators, practitioners, and educators. Our program aims to provide an opportunity for W&M students to compete at the highest level in collegiate esports as well as integrate gaming and education.

We are exploring the intersections of esports with casting, communication, content creation, learning theory, psychology, computer science, music, event planning, marketing, sports analytics, and hospitality through hands-on learning opportunities to develop knowledge, skills, and abilities that are transferable to other industries in a changing society. Our program provides additional opportunities to grow professional networks, internships, and alumni connections. We aspire to be one of the premier universities filling the niche of wellness research in the esports industry.

Our project is to grow our resources to enable operation at a caliber consistent with W&M. We’re a school known for firsts, and we want to be pioneers in the esports ecosystem.

To continue supporting this endeavor, we’re seeking resources to establish and enable best practices for our growing team. Whether it’s new equipment to reach wider audiences, means of travel to get us to our competition, or events to grow our community, all of your contributions will go to support the Esports program.