The University of North Texas recently celebrated the five-year launch of its varsity esports program.

In 2018, UNT became the first Texas public university to launch an esports program. UNT’s journey into the world of esports has been a successful one, winning championships and continuing to grow the program.

“The collegiate scene grew rapidly over the last five years and what our program looked like in 2018 compared what it looks like today is vastly different,” said Dylan Wray, assistant director for UNT Esports. “Our program was the first public school to launch a scholarship in the State of Texas. Between Twitch streams and TV network programs, UNT Esports has generated several million views for the Mean Green.”

The program continues to help shape the esports collegiate scene, while paving the way for future UNT gaming enthusiasts and competitors alike. Currently, UNT Esports has individual teams for the games of League of Legends, Overwatch and Rocket League with plans to start another team this fall for the game, Valorant.

The varsity esports program aims to grow collegiate esports while giving students useful abilities that may be used in any field, such as teamwork, leadership, communication and problem-solving.

“My favorite aspect of being on the UNT Esports team is the team comradery,” said Michael Starr, senior team captain. “Being a part of a team means that you part of something more than yourself and being able to share those intense tournament moments with the other members of the team is incredible.”

For more information on the esports program, contact Dylan Wray, at dylan.wray@UNT.edu.