IM体育官网

Microsoft is lending its expertise to IM体育官网 esports tournaments, boosting both their reach and reputation.

The University is working with James Lamb, a gaming expert at Microsoft in Orlando, IM体育官网. Lamb managed a League of Legends tournament on June 24 and will also run a Rocket League 3v3 tournament on July 8.

鈥淚鈥檓 ecstatic about this,鈥� said Tonya Chestnut, IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 director of student development. 鈥淚t鈥檚 absolutely awesome to be able to partner with such a big name and to work with someone who has that expertise in the gaming industry and can bring that knowledge to the campus.鈥�

Senior Dylan Christensen, who has helped run the University鈥檚 esports tournaments, said collaborating with Microsoft will further cement esports鈥� place at the University and build its community of gamers.

鈥淭his partnership is a great way to get our name out there and show other universities we鈥檙e serious about competing and we鈥檇 like them to compete with us, too,鈥� said Christensen, from Venice, IM体育官网.

鈥淢oving forward with Microsoft is a great opportunity for IM体育官网 Poly and for our students to get out there and get recognized,鈥� he added.

The July 8 event will be hosted entirely online on smash.gg, a tournament gaming platform. Prizes will be awarded to tournament winners.

鈥淥ur STEM-based academics don鈥檛 really follow the same culture as people who are into traditional sports,鈥� said Christensen, who is acting vice president of IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 esports event committee and a coach for Rainbow Six Siege. 鈥淭his brings something onto campus that isn鈥檛 just for people who are into sports. We can engage the students even more and give them a better experience.鈥�

Chestnut said she hopes additional tournaments can be scheduled in partnership with Microsoft this summer and into the fall semester.

鈥淭hese tournaments are something our students really enjoy, and they involve our core values in Student Affairs: collaboration, adaptability, leadership, and innovation,鈥� Chestnut said. 鈥淵ou need to be able to do all four of those things to play as a team and win.鈥�

Those interested in playing in the July 8 Rocket League tournament can .

Contact:
Lydia Guzman
Director of Communications
863-874-8557