OIT event highlights OHIO Esports Arena’s many academic uses

The OHIO Esports Arena was launched earlier this month. It is now the home of OHIO’s varsity esports teams. However, it also serves as an academic space with cutting-edge features that allow faculty to integrate game-based learning into their curriculum.

During the Office of Information Technology’s Learning Spaces Advisory Community on Sept. 15, online and in-person participants got an in-depth tour of the space, as well as an overview of its design to facilitate current and future multidisciplinary academic activities.

Each of the arena’s 30 computers (available to anyone with an OHIO ID) are not only optimized for gaming, but also have a variety of game titles available to play that can also be used for teaching and experiential learning activities.

“Just like you would choose the right film or book to teach a concept in your class, this space allows faculty to find the right game,” said Esports Director Dr. Jeff Kuhn. “Games are texts that our students are interacting with all the time, but we may not be leveraging this gaming literacy in our classes.” Students may access their own personal game licenses through popular platforms like Steam or Epic Games, and faculty may request that games purchased through their departments be deployed to these computers.

The arena’s broadcasting capabilities offer rich opportunities for students to learn both the camera-facing and behind-the-scenes skills involved in game streaming.

Additionally, faculty may be featured on Bobcat Esports Twitch as special guests, sharing their knowledge and expertise in gaming and esports.

Kuhn can be reached at [email protected] if faculty are interested in learning how to integrate the Esports Arena into class activities and curriculum. Faculty are also invited to join the Esports Academic Advisory Board. This board encourages faculty to exchange ideas, create best practices and help them develop academic use cases. Professor Emeritus Dr. Hans Kruse may be contacted at [email protected] to inquire about joining the board.