Hunt Library’s long-awaited Gaming and Esports Lab hosted an open house Feb. 8, encouraging students, staff and faculty to make use of the facility in recreational and educational capacities. 

With 35 gaming PCs and four console stations, Cody Elsen, director of the Esports Program, said the lab is one of the most advanced college labs on the continent, and the technology available isn’t something people commonly have access to. 

“The equipment in here is absolutely cutting-edge,” Elsen said. “It’s the best of the best. The PCs can run any game at max settings, and we also have consoles available with more of the recreational side. It’s absolutely packed with technology that you’re not gonna see anywhere else. Most people using this lab, it’s probably their first time having access to this high end of computers or monitors in their life.”

Elsen said the space is intended for students to find a community on campus while engaging in recreational activities and hands-on learning.

“There are a lot of individuals that may have never been involved in an organized activity or a group coming out of high school, and a lot of times they’re gamers,” Elsen said. “This is a chance for them to find where they belong. There’s the community side, but also, the STEM and tech side. We hope that some students might be inspired to go down more tech-savvy paths.”

The idea that this lab would contribute to students gaining an interest in technological fields such as computer science and engineering was one of many driving factors behind its creation. Elsen said the gaming culture and the heavy presence of technological and engineering-based research and education on NC State’s campus motivated the installation of the lab. 

“The history of gaming at NC State has been huge for the last 15 plus years,” Elsen said. “That created a culture of gamers on campus, … but this space is for everybody. Anybody can come in and drop in and play. It’s also for faculty to conduct research, professors that want to book this to teach some classes every now and then. And even some, you know, external groups to show off anything that they might be doing.”

Carson Cole, a third-year studying computer science and officer of the Video Game Development Club, said the opening of an official facility dedicated to gaming and esports is a great opportunity for game developers. 

“I think it’s a really awesome opportunity, not just for esports, but also for game developers,” Cole said. “Just being able to have access to just such powerful computers locally on campus, it’s just, it’s a resource that has not really been available.”

Elsen said the Gaming and Esports Lab currently serves as an experiment ahead of the launch of Mann Hall’s future Esports Arena. 

“The space will be for large competitions and potentially our own esports teams at NC State,” Elsen said. “If we develop those for practicing, there’ll be another open lab similar to the Gaming and Esports Lab here. It will also be open to students again, just like this. We see that as an incubator for technology for students from all different disciplines and all the different colleges to come in and have access to computers, enhance their skills and maybe get inspired to work in the esports or gaming industry. But to be honest with you, the skills you learn in a space like this are really transferred to any discipline.”

Jill Sexton, associate director for digital and organizational strategy and building committee member for NC State’s future Esports Arena in Mann Hall, said the project is underway and is currently in its design phase.

“We’re in the design phase for the Mann Hall arena project,” Sexton said. “Construction should be starting within the next year to 18 months. We’re really excited about what is going to be in that space. There’s a lot of excitement around this initiative and people have pitched in their time to help make it outstanding.”

Sexton said the arena space will be able to hold around 360 people and will be used for mid-sized tournament events.

“There also will be strategy and practice rooms where we can hold classes,” Sexton said. “We’re working to build curriculum integration and to provide student learning opportunities outside of just playing video games but also things like video game design. There’s a whole creative side of storytelling around video gaming.” 

Marc Hoit, vice chancellor for information technology and chief information officer, said the funding for the Mann Hall project came from the state legislature with the goal of making the Triangle the nation’s center for gaming. 

“The legislature and the Raleigh Convention Center worked and decided that we could be, that Raleigh and the Triangle area could be, the center of gaming for the nation,” Hoit said. “So we’re working on doing that. They gave 16 million — 12 million to build what’s going to be in Mann Hall here, and then 4 million to go mobile, so we can go out to the rest of the state and take it up there.”

Campus Health made an appearance at the Gaming and Esports Lab open house to speak with visitors about gaming and mental health. Daniel Passonno, health educator with Campus Health, said gaming is a great way to de-stress and make new friends. 

“I think there’s a lot of ways that gaming does promote mental health because it connects students to other people out in the world,” Passonno said. 

While gaming can be a fun pastime, Passonno also encourages mindfulness while playing.

“Make sure that you take care of yourselves,” Passonno said. “Make sure that you take time to get some water, eat some food, look out for your friends. Make sure that you’re taking care of your well-being while also enjoying the games at the Esports Arena.” 

The Esports Arena in Mann Hall is anticipated to be completed in late 2026 to early 2027.