Durham College (DC) has officially opened a first-of-its-kind Esports Gaming Arena. Located in the Student Centre at the college’s Oshawa campus, the 3,000-sq-ft. venue is unique from any other collegiate gaming space in Canada thanks to its extensive broadcast capabilities and lounge area that can hold up to 120 spectators for esports tournaments.
Developed with the support of industry partners and gaming leaders Lenovo (Canada) and Monster Energy, the DC Esports Gaming Arena features include:
- 46 Legion by Lenovo gaming PCs with added Nvidia GEForce RTX 2080 graphics cards, 12 of which sit behind a glass partition and are reserved for esports varsity players’ training.
- Streaming capabilities at each gaming station so that gamers can broadcast their play live on Twitch.
- Monster Energy DX Racer ergonomic gaming chairs, which feature back and neck cushions and adjustable backs, arms and seats to provide support and comfort and mitigate repetitive stress injuries.
- Five 55” display monitors and a 110” projector for in-house tournament broadcasting.
The Esports Gaming Arena is part of DC’s four-part esports plan which also includes the Durham Lords esports varsity team, which began competing with teams across North America in 2018, a recreational gaming club and integration of esports into the college’s post-secondary program curricula.
While use of the gaming stations is reserved for DC students, alumni and employees during regular hours of operation, the Esports Gaming Arena is available for private bookings to host birthday parties, corporate events and gaming tournaments.
Booking inquiries can be made by emailing esports@durhamcollege.ca.