The esports facilities at Northwestern State University of Louisiana has been moved from the Friedman Student Union to the Wellness, Recreation and Activities Center (WRAC).
The relocation was made to draw more attention to the esports facility. Patric DuBois, the director of the WRAC and deputy athletic director, feels that the move was very beneficial to increase student engagement.
“Even though we had a beautiful esports lounge down in the student union, a lot of the students never knew that, so we felt like it was a bit underutilized,” DuBois said. “We’ve already transitioned to the WRAC, and it’s working out great.”
The previous esports lounge, which was once the former campus bookstore, was one of the largest of its kind in Louisiana when it first opened in early 2021. According to the NSU website, “The 3,500 square foot lounge is designed with 24 fully equipped computers, multiple consoles and seating that can be reconfigured for competitive and recreational gaming.”
While the student union has a variety of activities, the WRAC brings more to the table for esports when it comes to advertising and being a quick and easy place for students to have fun.
The WRAC now features upgraded equipment and hosts tournaments, along with new arcade machines and consoles offering games like Mario Kart and Smash Bros.
Courtney Chancellor, coordinator of esports and club sports, hopes to increase foot traffic at the new esports lounge in the WRAC. “We changed it up a little bit. It’s more console-based, instead of PC-based, and we have our arcade machine up and running,” Chancellor said.
Students still need to show their campus ID to be able to utilize the esports lounge. Fisher Cooley, a freshman musical theatre major, explained that the area feels more secure. “I think it’s pretty dope, and I like that it’s over here instead of the student union.”
Victoria Powell, a freshman biology major, shared her thoughts on the relocation. “I think it’s fine since like a lot of people tend to play sports games. I think it’s beneficial since it’s (WRAC) a workout place,” Powell said.
Logan Hunter, a freshman nursing major and student who frequently works out at the WRAC, noticed the new lounge and spontaneously dropped in for a match. “I really liked the lounge. I got done working out, and saw they had a whole esports lounge in the WRAC, so I had to check it out,” Hunter said.
The new location has already drawn attention to esports at NSU from students who frequently visit the WRAC. For more information on upcoming tournaments, please contact Courtney Chancellor at [email protected].
