Matt Hamilton will coach E-town ESports

Recently, Elizabethtown College began sponsoring an Esports team marking one of the first Landmark Conference Esports ventures at the NCAA Division III level. The College also will host the Landmark Conference Esports championship on Friday, March 29.

“We’re excited to offer this unique experience for our students as we realize the entire community benefits from having competitive gaming on campus,” said Elizabethtown College Vice President of Student Life Dr. Celestino Limas. “We look forward to seeing our Esports program develop new ways to engage with today’s college students.”

Five fellow Landmark institutions also will sponsor Esports teams including, Catholic University, Drew University, Goucher College, Juniata College and Moravian College.

Watch a video of the E-town Esports team.

Competition for 2019 will be centered on Riot Games’ League of Legends property. College League of Legends comprises more than 500 student-run clubs, 300 competitive teams and more than 70 varsity Esports programs on college campuses across North America.

Teams will compete in a regular-season round-robin schedule during Jan. and Feb. with the top four teams qualifying for a championship tournament in March. The conference champion and runner-up are invited to the College League of Legends national tournament in April.

E-town’s assistant men’s and women’s volleyball coach Matt Hamilton, who will lead the College’s team, has been an avid gamer for the last 13 years. Currently, there are 17 students on E-town’s Esports team.

“Video games have always been a passion of mine and it is great to see an avenue open in which college students can play and compete with one another,” Hamilton said. “I hope that my vast and versatile experience will help foster a good foundation for growth and success in years to come.”

Esports, the modern terminology for competitive video gaming, has taken off over the last decade as streaming and gaming technology evolved. An estimated 427 million people will consume Esports programming globally by 2019 according to a report from Newzoo. Gaming takes place through multiplayer formats on web platforms, often with professional competitors.