North Carolina continues to strive for esports greatness as the industry continues its ascent to become a mainstream giant
By Christopher D. Silbernagel
North Carolina’s dedication to being at the top of the esports world is highlighted by the number of options available to the community and beyond, with development and connectivity available from grade school through to the professional level. Collegiate esports also thrive at multiple locations, with more continuing to emerge, bringing high-quality clubs and programs to students while also educating them on the potential career paths available when embarking on their unique journey.
Esports in North Carolina
Multiple destinations across the state have become hotbeds for esports. Along with hosting a number of world-class tournaments over the past few years, such as the Rainbow Six Siege Raleigh Major at the Raleigh Convention Center, the City of Raleigh continually strives to be the best at not only hosting duties, but also in providing variety and its all-round reach within and outside of North Carolina.
“[Annually], we strive to host two or three major national or international events, two to four regional events and four to eight local events and programs,” said Loren Gold, executive vice president of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We’ve started to invest in becoming an esports educational hub for both the game publisher and production industry, and an advocate for destinations.”
One of the top contributors to driving esports forward is Carolina Esports, which is directly linked to the Charlotte Phoenix professional esports team. Carolina Esports is a hub with an all-inclusive mission to build a dynamic portfolio in esports and the gaming industry through strategic partnerships, investments and acquisitions. The hub consists of a complementary set of multi-level verticals that all feed one another, providing connectivity from grade school to college and beyond.
“Esports is a natural fit on the North Carolina travel landscape,” said Wit Tuttell, executive director of Visit NC. “The affinity starts with our passion for sports at every level and gains momentum with the high-tech culture rooted in the presence of Lenovo, SAS, Red Hat, Epic Games and other companies based here. This all comes into play in destinations that rank high on travelers’ lists of great places to visit.”
Esports at Colleges is Thriving
At colleges like University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), esports are thriving with clubs, programs and even dedicated on-site arenas. With esports participation rapidly growing, UNCG opened its esports arena in 2022 to provide students a place to call their own and hold tournaments. Students have a number of options within the over 3,300-square-foot space, which houses 48 gaming PCs, 3 console bays and virtual reality headsets for variety.
UNCG also took esports a step further in 2023 with the launch of the UNCG Scholastic Esports Alliance (UNCG SEA). As the United States’ first university-led, curriculum-focused statewide high school esports league, UNCG SEA has built a premiere end-to-end talent development pipeline for high-tech and STEM-centered careers, delivering a Career Technical Education (CTE) pathway-aligned curriculum and sanctioning regional and state esports competitions.
Other universities like North Carolina State (NC State) out in Raleigh are also diving in. The University is currently building a $16 million esports arena which, when completed in 2024, is to be the largest of its kind in the United States.
“Our forthcoming esports production and performance center at NC State will be a major catalyst not only for the UNC System but for student internships, job training and additional engagement with the private esports sector,” said Loren Gold. “This will connect high school to two-year to four-year to private industry, not only for athletes but for event staff, production, broadcasting, game design and gaming related science and health.”
Of the total grant provided by North Carolina’s government, $4 million will go to a “mobile arena,” which will bring in additional competition and activities throughout the state and draw additional attention to the university’s esports and educational offerings.
Esports is Still Growing
As esports continue to thrive in North Carolina at multiple levels, the state has come up with additional means of driving things forward. Along with experiences at universities and convention centers, there are also esports bars like Bad Machines out in Durham, as well as an esports lounge at the expanding Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Along with tournaments being held at convention centers, dedicated esports and gaming conventions are also taking place at these enormous venues, such as the Carolina Games Summit and East Coast Game Conference (ECGC), the latter of which is the largest conference for game developers on the East Coast. ECGC is also a major player in giving back to the community with an initiative to raise money for the Child’s Play charity, which helps children’s hospitals and domestic violence shelters through the power of therapeutic play.
Not to sit back on its success, the Tar Heel State strives to bring in even more esports tournaments and events by offering incentives for would-be event runners. North Carolina’s esports incentive, a 25% rebate on qualifying esports expenses and purchases while in-state, demonstrates the state’s long-term commitment to the community and industry with a total of $5 million on offer per fiscal year funded through the NC Esports Industry Grant.
