Hello all,

Does anyone have experience with esports/gaming PCs in academic libraries? If so, I would love to hear from you!

At my library, we are considering creating a small esports area with 4 dedicated computers (to start, at least). Surprisingly, the university has never delved into esports before, so I am hoping to potentially use these computers to seed a student club, library events centered around competitive gaming, or (eventually) collegiate/level leagues. We have strong collaborators in our campus IT department, and we have potential to involve other campus partners such as campus rec, athletics, student engagement, etc.

As I start preparing a proposal, I would love to hear some perspectives from libraries that have pursued this trajectory.

  *   What challenges have you faced?
  *   Were the computers built in-house or purchased from a manufacturer (e.g., Alienware)?
  *   What outreach/programming have been most successful?
  *   What promotion methods have been most successful?
  *   Do you offer headphones or other accessories for checkout?
  *   How have you approached assessment/evaluation?

Thank you!

Nathan Sonnenschein (he/him)
User Services & Experience Librarian
Montana State University Billings Library

LI 219 | 406.657.1665 | Meet with me!<[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">https:[log in to unmask]>
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