At UNC Greensboro (UNCG), video gaming is a serious, and even scholarly, business:
- UNCG’s Gaming and Esports Club connects students who play video games when they take a break from studies.
- The state-of-the-art Esports Arena and Learning Lab hosts multiple regional and collegiate esports tournaments on campus.
- Students can minor in esports or take the esports management concentration in the Bryan School of Business and Economics to prepare for careers in the emerging esports industry.
In fact, UNCG faculty have been known to use video games to teach concepts, and many are engaging in research to study the cultural impact of video games. So, it should come as no surprise to find Spartan staff and faculty members whose calloused thumbs tip off their love of video gaming.
The University recently released a video series on its YouTube channel called Behind the Screen. The series explores the intersection of gaming and academia. Each episode features an interview with a faculty or staff member while they play a favorite video game and give insight on higher education’s role in gaming culture.
If you missed these episodes, see them all below and meet some folks who are changing the game at UNCG.
Episode 1
Interview: Wade Maki, philosophy professor
Game: Counterstrike
Maki talks teamwork and decision-making as he tests the destructive power of an armed panda.
Episode 2
Interview: John Borchert, religious studies professor and director of the Network for the Cultural Study of Videogaming
Game: Fall Guys
Borchert compares game storylines to cultural rituals while avoiding pitfalls and obstacles to survive and advance with the guys.
Episode 3
Interview: Erick Byrd, professor of hospitality and tourism management at the Bryan School of Business and Economics.
Game: Mario Kart
See Byrd dodge blue shells as he discusses the business side of video games and UNCG’s role in preparing students for a profitable industry.
Episode 4
Interview: Sophie Priest, Bryan School grad student (M.S. in Information Technology & Management) and event coordinator for UNCG’s Esports and Gaming Club
Game: Super Smash Bros
Watch Priest avoid getting crushed while sharing how UNCG students are finding their community and their career paths through esports.
Story by Becky Deakins, University Communications.
Videography by David Row, University Communications.
