NC State University Libraries is set to open its pilot esports facility, the NC State Gaming and Esports Lab, in Hunt Library following delays in the construction of the full esports facility in Mann Hall.

NC State was given $12 million from the state government to build an esports facility in 2022 with a projected completion of summer 2024.

Jill Sexton, associate director for digital and organization strategy in the Libraries, said the full esports facility now has an estimated completion date of late 2026 or early 2027 due to renovations being made in Mann Hall. 

“There’s been a planning phase, and now we’re actively in the design phase where we’re actually planning the layout of the space, and then there will be an 18-month construction phase,” Sexton said. “It really just takes that long to renovate completely a 50-plus-year-old building.”

In the meantime, the Libraries have constructed a pilot esports facility on the fourth floor of Hunt Library. 

Sexton said it was not a part of the University’s initial plan, but serves to give students an esports facility before they graduate and the Libraries the experience of running an esports facility before the opening of the Mann Hall facility.

“We really wanted to be able to start building momentum for the program so that when the facility opened, we would kind of be up to speed and know how to run it and know what to expect, and have kind of have an established program already in place ready to take full advantage of the space,” Sexton said. 

Sexton also said the new program is seen as an opportunity not only to build momentum, but also to build excitement and harness an understanding of how to run an esports space. 

The pilot facility is equipped with 35 high-performance gaming PCs and four console stations, each with an Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo Switch. 

Cody Elsen, esports program director in the Libraries, said he hopes the pilot facility will serve as a welcoming gateway for the campus community to get invested in esports. 

“One of the biggest goals for Hunt is the fact that it’s open to anyone,” Elsen said. “A lot of students are going to be able to get access to these high-end gaming PCs for the first time and really experience gaming and esports in its best form.”

Bryce Stout, a doctoral student studying communication, rhetoric and digital media, said the main goal of the esports facility is to bring awareness to the career opportunities in esports and develop marketable skills.

“We want this to be apparent that people who don’t know anything about games, but they know about editing video or photography, or even like event management, or HVAC, that esports is for them,” Stout said. “It is very much a growing industry and 95% of the people whose careers are in esports are not players.”

In addition to holding reservable spaces for gaming, the pilot facility will host regular workshops that range from gaming skills to computer building and event management and marketing. Elsen said local gaming companies have already expressed interest in the Esports Lab.

“There’s a lot of companies in the area that have a lot of interest in our graduates and are definitely willing to come to campus to do some demonstrations and help with competitions that would be interested in potentially hiring people with an interest in gaming and esports,” Elsen said.

Elsen said a common misconception of the esports industry is that it solely revolves around computers and other STEM-based concepts.

“The business development roles, marketing, comms are just as much in demand in gaming and esports as these other roles, because there’s not a lot of people that, because it’s so new, have experience in the business side of things,” Elsen said. “So we’ll be trying to provide people with guidance when it comes to that kind of stuff as well — not just the STEM and hands-on stuff.”

Sexton said the fact that the pilot facility is located on Centennial Campus is beneficial, as she hopes it will contribute to the overall well-being of the campus community.

“The students who have a lot of classes that are heavily based on Centennial don’t have a lot of the same kinds of recreational opportunities that students who spend most of their time on North or Central Campus do,” Sexton said. “We are really excited about the possibilities for community building that a space like this will bring, and have been working closely with the esports club to help make sure that everybody, all students regardless of skill level, feel really welcome.”

The NC State Esports Lab will open Jan. 16 and is located on the fourth floor of Hunt Library. For the first month of its opening, the lab will be open Monday through Friday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hours will expand over the semester. Anyone affiliated with NC State can reserve space through the lab’s website.

The lab is hosting an open house Feb. 8 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.