Blizzard Entertainment and TeSPA have teamed up to sponsor Heroes of the Dorm — “a Heroes of the Storm tournament offering MOBA-savvy students a chance to win free tuition for the rest of their college career. Heroes of the Dorm is open to both undergrad and graduate students enrolled in colleges across North America. Each member of the tournament’s winning team will receive up to $25,000 per year to go towards college tuition, or in the case of soon-to-be grads, paying off student loans” (IGN, 3/7).
Tournament Structure
The tournament is slated to provide $450,000 in prizes, with Open Qualifiers beginning March 28th. The 64 team, NCAA style win-or-go-home format begins Aprill 11th with the Round of 16, Round of 8 and Heroic Four all broadcast on ESPN3. Additionally, “viewers will be able to access Heroes of the Dorm tournament action on ESPN3 under the eSports category online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets, and streamed on televisions through Apple TV, Roku, and other connected devices.” The tournament will culminate in late April, with the Heroes of the Dorm championship match “televised live in prime time on an ESPN network and also accessible via WatchESPN” (Battle.net, 3/6).
Time for Collegiate eSports?
This will be the first live televised collegiate eSports event on an ESPN network. Moreover, it will provide insight into the viability of national level collegiate eSports events. I wrote a brief piece about NCeSPA here. The groundswell of gamers within the college crowd is undoubtedly there. However, annual tournaments are one thing; structured, year-long play with eligibility requirements, regulations, etc. are another.
Moving Forward
Blizzard clearly stands to gain from exposing Heroes of the Storm to the collegiate gaming crowd. Still, questions abound. Namely, is the level of play high enough across the amateur eSports landscape to attract a significant viewing audience? Is it premature to push collegiate eSports? The outcome and experience from Heroes of the Dorm will help answer these questions.
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Alex Fletcher is founder & president at eSports Group, where he helps customers meet their eSports advisory & consulting needs. When Alex isn’t glued to a screen, he spends time with his wife, their two dogs, and pretends to learn Polish. Feel free to stalk him on Twitter – @FletchUnleashed