Startups

Next month, 16 Pa. colleges will compete in a varsity esports championship

Harrisburg University, which has a satellite campus in Philly, is launching the PA Cup — a collegiate tournament to remind you that esports are real.

A new program could help kids fill these pages. (Photo by Flickr user Santi DeFerrol, used under a Creative Commons license)

With its upcoming PA Cup, Harrisburg University is trying to remind you that esports are real.

During the weekend of March 30 to 31, 16 varsity and club collegiate teams from across Pennsylvania will compete online in matches in League of Legends, Overwatch and Hearthstone matches for the title of PA Cup Champion.

On day two of the tournament, fans will gather at Harrisburg U’s Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts in Harrisburg to watch the final matches from the home arena of HU Storm, the university’s varsity esports team where fans can gather to watch the finals and cheer on their team.

“Pennsylvania has a rich tradition in championship titles, including the World Series, the Super Bowl and multiple NCAA championships,” said Chad Smeltz, director of Esports at Harrisburg University. “The PA Cup puts this extremely popular, growing sport right into the mix. There is an undeniable demand for college esports to offer tournaments that are on par with those of traditional sports and HU is all in on offering those experiences.”

Harrisburg University, which has a campus in Center City, has been angling to brand itself as an esports hub in Central Pennsylvania — and has been making the investments to prove it. At the end of last year it opened a new practice facility for HU Storm, its varsity esports team. The spot features professional-grade gaming computers, 24-inch monitors and ergonomic gaming chairs.

All told, the university’s campus boast of 174,000 square feet of space for esports competitions, practices and live gameplay spaces.

Companies: Harrisburg University of Science and Technology

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

The metrics and mechanics that get startups funded, according to 5 active investors

A sneak peek inside Penn Engineering’s new $137.5M mass timber building 

Silicon Valley venture firm launches ‘Rising America’ fund to back diverse founders

This Week in Jobs: 31 open roles to cure the common career

Technically Media