A monumental moment for esports at St. Clair College.
St. Clair College Esports and Alienware, which is Dell Technologies’ top gaming brand, are marking the launch of the Alienware Gaming Lab – the first of its kind in Canada.
This new lab is located in the Esports Nexus Arena at the college and creates an opportunity for the college to increase the number of gaming PCs from 70 to 110 units.
This partnership will allow for new equipment to be installed every three years, allowing St. Clair College to remain at the top of its level in terms of esports.
This growth also showcases the interest in gamers at the college, and can enhance competitive gaming play moving forward.
The Nexus facility has been operational since fall 2022, but the equipment upgrades were necessary to allow more students and teams to take part in these academic programs.
Shaun Byrne, Esports Director at St. Clair College, says this facility will bring the program to the next level.
“We’ve already become the go-to program in Canada, really the last few years we’ve pushed to become one of the go-to programs in the world. This facility is really the icing on the cake. This is what the students are looking for. Times are changing, we’ve got amazing athletic facilities here, but now to pair with that we’ve got amazing esports facilities.”
He says all of the PCs are brand new, and will be refreshed every three years.
“One of the things that’s a little bit different with esports compared to traditional sports is you don’t have to upgrade your soccer or football field all that often, with esports in order to stay ahead you really need to do that,” Byrne adds. “And this new partnership is going to ensure that every three years we’ve got that new equipment coming in – allowing us to stay ahead of our competitors.”
Byrne says they are looking to add more individuals from around the world to the program.
“We’ve gone out the last couple of years and started recruiting students internationally. We’ve got students coming from a couple from Germany this year, one from Austria, a couple from Italy, some from the UK, some from South America as well. That’s something that we’re able to do because we are offering this top of the line facility. Other schools are having trouble attracting the caliber of players that we’re able to get.”
The varsity program currently has approximately 150 players, playing for 21 different teams on campus. Those are all students on scholarship competing against schools in Canada and the United States – and sometimes worldwide.
The new partnership also includes a visual upgrade to the Gaming Lab, featuring a custom Windsor skyline themed mural, branded neon lights, and an Alienware kiosk.
The Saints varsity esports program was the first of its kind in Canada and was founded in 2017.