GAME CHANGER

When the esports program was founded at SNHU in 2019, it consisted of just a few players and coaches in a dedicated room in Stark Hall. The program continued to grow with the opening of the Esports Arena in October 2021, sponsored by Connection. Two years on, thanks to the partnership with Connection, the esports program has continued to grow, by sourcing technology equipment for the program, and by providing students with experiential learning opportunities to help them find a career path in esports.

“When students think about getting jobs in esports, they are primarily thinking, ‘I can play video games professionally,’ ” said Tim Fowler, director of esports.

With this partnership, students can get insight into “a variety of different jobs that they could have, whether it be in sales for Connection, esports programs, communications or technology jobs,” said Fowler.

In the future, Fowler hopes to work with Connection to host career events for students to understand what their industry is like, better preparing them for career advancement after graduation.

The SNHU esports program now consists of 45 varsity players competing in five different games: League of Legends, Overwatch, Super Smash Brothers, Rocket League, and Valorant. In addition to competing, 30 work study students assist in running the program. The operations team handles the maintenance of the equipment via arena technicians. The event and tournament organizer coordinates events and tournaments. The content team consists of graphic designers, video producers, stream technicians, and commentators. Fowler says that students involved in the esports program come from a variety of educational pathways, including students who are working toward degrees in communications, computer science, sport management, and business.

An added bonus to the partnership with Connection requires that students on the content team learn how to work with a brand.

“The students are really the ones running the show from that perspective. They make sure that the Connection logo is on everything and that it’s being featured appropriately. It gives them a better understanding of how marketing works and how producing content that requires sponsorship works because we’re integrating that,” said Fowler.

SNHU and Connection have had a long-standing relationship. Roughly 25% of Connection’s workforce consists of SNHU alumni, including Tim McGrath, the CEO. Prior to the esports sponsorship, Connection has worked with the SNHU Professional Sales Program. Fowler says that Connection expressed interest in esports, wanting to understand the sport better, and support his advocacy for bringing esports to communities outside of SNHU.

“Connection has been really interested in getting high school esports off the ground. They’ve been working with me to try to put together packages for New Hampshire high schools,” said Fowler.

In addition to competing in their own tournaments, the esports team will host matches for high school players and the general public. The students organize and run the matches by inviting teams to play, streaming the matches on Twitch, coordinating video production, setting up equipment, and more. The esports team hosts a monthly Super Smash Brothers tournament that is open to the public, sometimes drawing in over 100 players. Partnered with the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA), the esports team supports tournaments in the Arena and on campus for 12 high school teams.

“[Connection] has had a huge presence within the SNHU community in various aspects,” said Ed Ithier, director of development for the Office of Institutional Advancement. “The relationship with Connection has provided students not only with an experiential learning aspect, but also teaches them how to work as a team.”