LAKELAND, Fla. — At Florida Polytechnic University, it’s game on — both in competition and in career preparation.
Inside Florida Poly’s esports arena, the competition is intense, but so is the teamwork. Jannice Rivera is a computer science and cybersecurity major and captain of the university’s varsity esports team.
"I started gaming when I was really young. My father was into video games, and he introduced me via Game Boys, Xbox 360, and after that I was hooked,” Rivera said.
Florida Poly just opened its state-of-the-art esports arena. The 20 station arena is built to host major competitions, featuring a 48-foot exterior screen wall to allow for live tournament viewing.
“We’ll come meet up here. We'll play a couple games, have fun but also work on our team bonding, communication skills and our strategic problem solving skills,” Rivera said.
Esports is a multibillion dollar industry nationwide, and students are gaining experience with digital systems, skills that directly connect to high demand careers.
With hopes of becoming a cybersecurity analyst, Rivera said she is able to sharpen both her gaming and career skills.
"For multitasking for cybersecurity, you usually have a lot of tabs open. There is a lot of pressure, a lot of information is time sensitive. So, you have to act quickly or risk losing that data," said Rivera. So, I feel like going into these high pressure scenarios in these games where you’re constantly exposed to stress, you're able to take that calmly when it comes to the workforce.”
University leaders said the goal is to elevate esports to the same level as traditional athletics, with plans to eventually offer scholarships to student players.
“About 95% of students who participate in esports, they follow through and persist through to graduation. So that’s an extremely high retention rate,” said Bryan Brooks, vice president of student affairs.
For Rivera, the arena is also about building community and diversity. She hopes to see more women join the roster as the program grows.
"Esports has always been male dominated, and STEM is a very male dominated field. I want to change that as well. I want more women in the STEM field,” Rivera said.
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