Game On: UNCW screens documentary highlighting esports program

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — UNCW screened a documentary titled “Game On UNCW: Esports and Education” highlighting the university’s esports program on Monday night.

The Esports and Gaming Club was established in 2019 with the goal of bringing together a community to learn, play and teach electronic sports. Since its inception, the club has grown to 600 members and six competitive teams that play against other collegiate teams.

“We welcome everyone from every gaming walk of life, so whether you’re casual or competitive we’re all here ready to have fun and ready to compete if you want to,” Club President Maeve Klimek said.

While it is fun and games, it’s more than just fun and games — which was the focus of the documentary. Dr. Ray Pastore, instructional technology professor and esports program coordinator, says esports is a multi-million dollar industry with career options from pro gamers and software developers to marketing and advertising.

“It’s cool that we’re tapping into that and supporting it and really helping make their dreams a reality,” Pastore said.

In 2022, the program received $300,000 over three years. The funding supports paid positions for students, elevating teams to varsity status, and a new esports lab and computers. Lenovo is donating several computers for the lab.

Maeve Klimek is the current Esports Club president. She’s working as a software engineer while finishing her senior year and says she plans to use her skills as a gamer in her professional ventures.

“I’m working in the [financial technology] side of software engineering, but working in the esports side of it and getting to develop those games when I’ve been playing since I was three years old would be like a dream,” Klimek said.

The club organizes an event called GameCon every semester. It’s an opportunity for students and members of the community to play the games together and compete in tournaments. In addition to the technical skills earned by the program participants, it gives members experience in event coordination and marketing.

Whether you’re a competitive or casual gamer, the esports community is a place for UNCW students to recharge and connect with like-minded peers.

“It helps them achieve. It increases their grades, increases their motivation, increases their happiness and we might be finding the next Steve Jobs here,” Pastore said.

UNCW offers two professional esports certificate programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. For more information on the program, visit here.