North Park has served five generations of students and continues to grow in diversity, academic relevance, and Christian commitment. Our Chicago location is a great asset that reflects the School’s global reach and outlook.
After 125 years, we’ve learned how to streamline the process of helping qualified applicants seek admission to North Park and find affordable ways to attend. If you don’t see what you’re looking for on our website, please contact us directly!
North Park offers more than 40 graduate and undergraduate programs in liberal arts, sciences, and professional studies. Classes average 17 students. 84% of our faculty have terminal degrees. Academics here are rigorous and results-oriented.
North Park Theological Seminary prepares you to answer the call to service through theological study, spiritual development, and the formative experiences of living in a community with others on a similar life path.
The Office of Alumni Engagement fosters lifelong connections by engaging alumni with the university and one another in activities, programs, and services that support the university’s mission and alumni needs.
Looking to work alongside an already booming gaming industry located in Chicago, North Park University (North Park) is excited to add Esports as the institution’s first coed and 19th overall sport. Recruiting for incoming student-athletes will begin immediately, with competition to start fall of 2023.
“We are excited to add Esports to the athletic department,” said John Born, North Park Assistant Vice President, Director of Athletics. “It is a great opportunity to meet current demand and add to the diversity of the institution. The combination of an emerging sport and the resources of Chicago is a definite win-win scenario.”
Esports, a form of competitive, organized video gaming, is most often used in a “multiplayer” setting. As a fan-friendly sport when it comes to viewership and streaming, Esports is expected to net 29.6 million monthly viewers this year, up 11.5% from 2021, according to estimates done by Insider Intelligence.
Chicago has been a hotspot for Esports for many years, and North Park is well-situated with its Chicago campus to be in the epicenter of this growing sport. The League Championship Series for high-level League of Legends players will take place at the United Center September 10–11. Additionally, Chicago’s City Council approved a $30 million dollar arena, “Surge” Esports Stadium, to be built in Bronzeville. Investments like these will provide North Park students ample opportunity to expand their abilities and pursue longer-term career options in the field.
Though exploding in popularity, including the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Collegiate Athletic Association has not officially sponsored Esports for intercollegiate competition. However, North Park will join the National Association of College Esports, the largest member association of college and university-sponsored Esports programs that promote student education and development through intercollegiate Esports.
“Meeting students where they are at is what we aim to do at North Park, and offering Esports as an official varsity program is no exception. As a university, we are fortunate to have the resources to have this dream come to fruition. This is a great day for North Park.”
For questions about the program, contact Peter Casella, Director of Esports.
Edson draws many parallels between academic discipline and gaming discipline. “You have to be willing to put in the time and effort to get better, otherwise, you won’t become good. You have to practice every day, you have to compete against other good players.”
Edson Lopez, a Business Management major, will graduate from North Park in May of 2020. Edson is also a Top 500 player in Fortnite. Fortnite is an online video game based on the Battle-Royale format. Players scavenge for loot and build structures until the last man standing. Fortnite has around 250 million registered users worldwide. Edson clocked over 1,000 hours of Fortnite last year on his PS4 alone. He has since moved to playing on PC and plays competitively.
To Edson, video games such as Fortnite are just like any other sport, “it’s just a passion. Gaming is one of those things where I just lose sense of time. I have a lot of fun, and it is something I would like to make a living off of.” For Edson, a career in gaming is becoming a reality. He is already signed on a contract with esports organization Bolt Esports LLC. “The organization chose me for placing well in events and I have proven that I can compete against some of the best players in the world,” Edson says. He hopes to improve and sign with larger organizations; his ultimate goal is to sign with 100 Thieves.
Edson draws many parallels between athletic or academic discipline and gaming discipline. “You have to be willing to put in the time and effort to get better, otherwise, you won’t become good. You have to practice every day, you have to compete against other good players,” he says. Communication and networking are other important aspects to gaming Edson says. Networking with other streamers and players has helped him grow his channels and bolster his online presence.
Edson attributes some of this success to North Park’s School of Business. He cites his professors who intentionally made personal connections with him. They have taught Edson how to communicate and market himself, and have shown him the numbers behind business. Edson says this guidance and learning has “translated over to the gaming side because communication and marketing myself has helped me grow my Twitch (streaming channel), and helped me make new friends and connections with people.” He adds, “I have learned the things I should and shouldn’t do as a professional. Gaming is more serious than many people think.”
Edson is also excited to join the gaming industry in other ways. Esports organizations are similar to other businesses, with a product to sell and talent to acquire. “Scouting would allow me to play the game more casually. The School of Business has really taught me how to communicate, and working as a scout involves a lot of interpersonal skills, so I feel like that would be a good fit for me.”
Last month, Edson and his Duo placed 43rd in a Fortnite tournament in one of the toughest regions in the world: North America East. Edson is currently competing in the Fortnite World Cup qualifiers in Solo and Duo categories. Each weekend, Edson has qualified for finals and has won cash prizes. The Fortnite World Cup has a total prize pool of $30 million.
To follow Edson’s gaming escapades, find him on Twitter or Twitch @PotentFN.
Author Ana SeklerPosted on Categories Press, Stories
