The esports lounge in Building 5. Photo by Taysia Bettis.
Tucked away in Building 5 at the Ankeny campus is one of DMACC’s many amenities that has been steadily gaining traction since last fall semester. The esports arena, open 2-7 p.m. Monday through Friday, is a relatively new addition to intramurals on campus.
It is currently a drop-in space with approximately 30 students visiting regularly, and growing. Students can reserve PC stations for an hour at a time, other consoles for 90 minutes at a time, and may continue playing if no other students are waiting. Andy Nelson, the Campus Recreation Coordinator, is in charge of all intramural activities on campus.
“It’s a new space on campus, open to all DMACC students, faculty and staff, where you can sit and watch TV, play PlayStation, Xbox, or [Nintendo] Switch,” Nelson said. There is a large list of games students can play, particularly on the PC.
These games include many popular titles, like Rocket League, Fortnite, Call of Duty, Super Smash Bros, and more. However, some of these games may require the student or staff to have their own personal account. In addition to drop-in video game hours, Nelson said there are many more activities they are coordinating for students.
Nelson said that the goal is simply to get students interested in the room and intramurals as a whole. “This past Friday, we had an intramural Texas Hold ‘Em tournament. The idea is to kind of use this space for some things like that. Like, we have a retro game night where we bring out the old Super Nintendo, Sega, stuff like that to create some interest in the room. . . We’ll have a board game night,” Nelson said.
Photo by Taysia Bettis.
With enough consistent interest, Nelson said he hopes that esports can expand to become a club sport. Nelson is also in charge of other intramural events, like the 5k glow run and volleyball tournament.
If none of the activities mentioned suit your interest, Nelson said that he tries his best to help organize events that students recommend as well. Any student who wants to coordinate something not already planned on the intramurals calendar can reach out to Nelson for a request.
For individual events, around eight to 10 people will need to express interest, but for larger tournaments or sports-oriented events, at least four teams (of variable sizes) need to be registered, which Nelson helps with recruiting students for. “We do our best to try and get it on the schedule for that semester, but it might be something that might have to wait a semester,” Nelson said.
Regardless of the game, Nelson said his goal has always been to get students involved in some way. “I’ve always said intramurals are part of the total college experience . . . We don’t have sports on this campus, so I feel like intramurals are the next best thing where you can really meet a lot of people, especially with Trail Point being right here on campus. It’s another great way to get involved. . . try something new, meet somebody.”
To reserve a space in the esports arena, coordinate a tournament or event, or for any additional inquiries about intramurals, please reach out to Andy Nelson at arnelson@dmacc.edu.
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