NJIT Esports Club Stands Out at Innovation and Technology Festival
At a busy, waterfront innovation festival filled with tech companies, startups, entrepreneurs and more, the NJIT Esports club had some of the biggest draws of the day.
The Propelify Innovation Festival, dubbed the “SXSW of the northeast,” brought together thousands of tech-enthusiasts to Hoboken’s Maxwell Place Park for a day of mixing, mingling, and — for the NJIT esports club — light gaming.
“It’s amazing how big our draw was. It’s really nice to see how passionate the community is for esports,” said Bruno Brandao, the club’s president. “Esports is booming, everyone wants to get exposure through it. It’s more than just a gaming club.”
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The club’s popularity should not come as a shock, however, as it is one of the university’s most popular extracurriculars, and mirrors the rise in esports growth worldwide. For instance, the tenth anniversary “League of Legends” World Championship brought in more than 100 million viewers worldwide, more eyes than the superbowl that year. The esports club’s discord has over 2,000 members.
While NJIT esports’ on-campus presence is substantial and inviting for gamers of all types and levels, the club’s competitive landscape is impressive in its own right.
The club boasts teams across multiple games and divisions within, with tryouts open each semester. Recently, the club has successfully competed in prelims hosted by Red Bull Campus Clutch for “Valorant,” and moved onto sectional qualifiers in New York City. If the team gets through sectionals, they earn a spot in the final group stage in Brazil. The cash prize is expected to exceed $20,000.
“NJIT is a recognized name when it comes to competitive gaming,” said Ahmed, the club’s competitive director, who serves as the point of contact for tournaments and oversees competitive rosters. “We offer the opportunity to be as competitive as you want, and many players have pursued competition to be the best in the world — but we still want to have fun.”
If sanctioned competition isn’t your thing, the esports club hosts frequent on-campus events, like its weekly, Thursday-night Super Smash tournament open to everyone.
“We have different groups on campus coming to us to help set up game nights for their organizations,” said Bruno. “It helps expand esports reach, both for casual and competitive play.”
