The hum of computers, clicking of keyboards, and quiet chatter of friends replaced the usual commotion of UW-Milwaukee’s rec center, Friday night. While the staples of pool and bowling were still going on, it was the grand opening of the Esports Lounge on campus that was drawing students in.
The rows of computers hosted a number of students playing games like Valorant, Fortnite and Marvel Rivals. Some played with their friends, others played alone, but they were all taking the opportunity to check out the new gathering place on campus.
While the Esports Lounge opened up the fall, its status was in flux for most of the semester. Despite the lack of a grand opening event, a tight knit community formed around the lounge in the brief time it was open.
“We have some people that come in quite often, where I can recognize their faces” said Rec Program Supervisor Zack Zingler who has become the central figure of the Esports Lounge.
Last semester, the lounge hosted around 500 unique students in just the first month and a half of operation. For the first week of this semester, the lounge averaged about 100 students a day.
“The lounge is the first step in legitimizing Esports on Campus,” Zingler said. “A lot of the students before didn’t really have a gathering space on campus when they tried to run Esports related events.”
Zingler hopes that the Esports Lounge will provide a physical space for students who have tried to organize through events like Geek Week. Zingler and his team have already begun scheduling more events for Esports programing, from competitive Esports tournaments to more laid-back single player focused experiences.
“I just love Esports in general, I love watching it, I love playing it,” said Erick Disch, a UWM student.
Disch has been in the scene for the past four years, rising from just a player to captain of the Overwatch 2 team. He hopes the lounge will bring more legitimacy to Esports on campus as well.
“Technically it’s all just clubs right now,” Disch said. “If it actually becomes a sport, it would open up a lot of new avenues.” Status as a sport would allow them to use UW-Milwaukee’s name in promotion and have official Varsity and Junior Varsity teams.