After months of renovations, DePaul esports has reopened the Loop gaming center.

The grand reopening at the start of winter quarter included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, food, drink and access to the gaming center’s new and expanded features.

The DePaul gaming center, located on the lower level of the downtown DePaul Center, includes rows of computers, multiple consoles, TVs, a variety of furniture and space to chill while working. It’s a room designed for the large number of DePaul students who love gaming. 

DePaul esports coordinator Jeffery Fricke-Waters estimated that the space doubled since the renovation.

“We wanted to improve and build on the space to better accommodate the students,” Fricke-Waters said.

The gaming lab is a popular place for students to visit between or after classes. It provides high-quality equipment that students may not have at home. 

Fricke-Waters also said the new space can be a productive place for programming students.

“We had reached upwards of 80-plus students checking in on peak days,” he said.

Gaming center moderator Destiny Astorga experienced this phenomenon of overcrowding. 

“We were reaching a point where we’d have people leave because the space was full,” Astorga said. 

Outside of the gaming center, DePaul’s individual esports programs have found success when competing in a variety of tournaments.

In 2022, DePaul’s League of Legends team won its third Big East title in four years. The same year, the Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) team took home a national title. Today, Fricke-Waters believes DePaul’s biggest strength is fighting games.

“Our Super Smash Bros. team and our fighters teams have been doing quite well, and have a lot of students engaged with them,” he said.

Aquarius Knight and Samuel Marx are fighting game players at DePaul and members of the esports board. Both like the gaming center expansion — although they both said it should have been bigger.

“I support it,” Marx said, but added that he thinks the center should take over at least one more classroom next door.

Fighting game players typically play on consoles with some games like Super Smash Bros.–which are available on only one system — making it important for the center to have the right equipment. 

The old gaming center’s most noticeable feature was its extensive rows of gaming PCs. Now the space is more balanced with a section dedicated to comfortable seating and TVs suitable for games with friends.

This makes the space more inviting for fighting game players and console gamers. The gaming center includes a variety of gaming items, such as headsets, keyboards and different systems. Knight and Marx said that the quality of computers in the gaming center is one of its highlights.

Fricke-Waters said DePaul wants to continue expanding its esports program — one major step could be the addition of esports scholarships. 

At other schools, these function similarly to traditional sports scholarships and can quickly build a top-level competitive team in any game. The scholarship amounts vary, but they can be significant. Hawaii Pacific University, for instance, offers up to $6,000 a year for eligible students.

To many players, getting paid to play is a dream, but to offer scholarships DePaul esports coordinators would need financial support from the school. 

“Hopefully in the future,” Fricke-Waters said when asked about the potential for scholarships. “We are working to make this a reality, but I don’t have a timeline of specifically when.”

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