Georgia State University’s fourth semi-annual PantherLAN Esports Tournament was held Nov. 9, 2019, featuring varsity players from around the region, Georgia State’s own varsity esports team, as well as exhibitions and workshops by local firms and organizations involved in the game development and entertainment industries.
Esports at Georgia State are housed in the Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII), and have oversight by the Executive Officer for Entrepreneurship, who reports to the Provost, with technical and logistical support from the university’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.
The tournament was held for the first time at Georgia State Stadium in the facility’s University Club, which has been renovated and reflects the evolution of the stadium from the 1996 Olympics, to the Atlanta Braves and now Georgia State athletics.
The event also attracted members of the general public, who had a chance to look at Georgia State’s activities in creative fields, including CMII.
Founded in 2017, Georgia State’s varsity esports program participates with other Georgia academic institutions in the Georgia Esports League and is among the more than 100 colleges and universities nationwide participating in the National Association of Collegiate Esports.
Varsity esports provide benefits beyond game play, including student participation in broadcasting, production, marketing, management and game development, a rapidly growing part of Georgia’s entertainment industry.
Team members are eligible to earn scholarships, and are expected to maintain high scholastic performance.
Beyond the collegiate level, esports continue to have a large global impact, with a global market expected to grow up to $1.1 billion in 2019, according to market research firm Newzoo. The market is expected to reach nearly $2 billion by 2022.
The global audience has grown to more than 450 million across livestreaming platforms like Twitch, and through in-person tournaments, where in the private sector players compete for large prizes.
To learn more about esports at Georgia State, visit http://esports.gsu.edu.
— Text by Jeremy Craig, Communications Manager, Office of the Provost
— Photos by Steve Thackston, Department of Public Relations & Marketing Communications
Scroll further for a photo gallery from this year’s event and a list of tournament winners.
Fall 2019 PantherLAN Esports Tournament Winners
Winners are listed by game. Some winners include varsity teams at the collegiate level; winners listed in quotation marks reflect individual player names, where players use pseudonyms. This is customary in esports.
League of Legends: Georgia State
Overwatch: Georgia State
Paladins: Georgia State
SMITE: Georgia Tech
Brawlhalla: “Weiss”
Tekken: “Aiki”
DragonBall Fighter Z: “Ult Victory”
Hearthstone: Georgia State
Shoutcaster Scholarship Winners
In esports, shoutcasters (or “casters”) give play-by-play commentary, requiring them to learn how to appear, report and speak in a broadcast setting — a not-so-easy-to-learn, but necessary skill for success in future careers such as marketing or in multimedia reporting.
Andrew Jespersen
Nicolas Gray
