Ball State
University has formed a partnership with Gen.G Global Academy—a high-caliber international esports
organization with competitive teams in South Korea, China, and the United
States.
This
partnership expands Ball State’s global influence and role as an innovator in
the emerging industry of esports, while offering unique opportunities for
student-athletes within Ball State’s esports program in the University’s College of
Communication, Information, and Media
(CCIM), and for Gen.G’s student-athletes.
“We are excited
about this burgeoning partnership and what it can mean for Ball State, CCIM,
and Gen.G,” said Dr. Paaige Turner, CCIM dean. “Gen.G has a presence as
one of the most visible multi-national corporations in esports—and Ball State
has an innovative, well-established program with a state-of-the-art esports
center to facilitate academic and competitive experiences.”
One key aspect
of this partnership is the establishment of a pathway for Gen.G’s esports
student-athletes to apply for admission to CCIM’s esports program, which offers
academic and esports competition opportunities available at Ball State. The
University is working with Gen.G on creating multiple pathways for the high school-age
students. To date, seven student-athletes from the Gen.G Elite Esports Academy
(GEEA), Gen.G’s international school program, have been accepted to Ball State
for the Fall 2022 semester.
Ball State’s
esports student-athletes benefit from this partnership by having opportunities
to learn, work, and compete alongside Gen.G student-athletes who have extensive
international exposure in esports. Also noteworthy are Gen.G’s major
initiatives, including #TeamBumble, a team platform for the empowerment of
women in gaming.
“We not only
help students learn about the esports industry, we teach them how it came
about, what are the real jobs in esports, and how to work together in order to
move the industry forward,” said Joseph Baek, Gen.G’s executive director of education
initiatives.
In addition to
being a competitive player, students have several possible career paths in the
esports industry, such as team coaching and management, gaming
streaming/content creation, analytics and research, operations and technology
development, design, and marketing and communications. Ball State’s Esports
Production concentration, under CCIM’s Department of
Media, delivers
hands-on instruction for students to develop their skills in the field of
esports media. Students in the program learn the history of esports, video
production, streaming, and live event broadcasting.
Aside from the partnership
with Gen.G, Ball State maintains a separate strategic affiliation with Rahal
Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL)—which was established in February. The partnership with RLL led to the establishment
of the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Scholarship, which provides a $5,000
scholarship to two members of Ball State’s varsity esports team each year from
the 2022-23 through 2025-26 academic years, advancing the program’s mission of
recruiting and retaining the top esports talent in the world.
The Ball State
and RLL partnership has provided other special opportunities for students
engaged in Ball State’s esports program. In May, for example, several Ball
State Esports students took advantage of an exclusive opportunity to visit with
and observe members of the RLL racing team in action at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway as they prepared for the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Ball State began its varsity esports program as part
of its College of
Communication, Information, and Media in
January 2021, becoming a founding member of the Esports Collegiate Conference.
The University has more than 800 students who participate in its student-run
Esports Club, including more than 50 student-athletes on its varsity esports
team. For more information about Ball State’s esports program, email esports@bsu.edu or call 765-285-6025.