A partnership with Dell Technologies in Miami and its gaming brand, Alienware, is providing a modern esports facility at Michigan State University in East Lansing.
The lounge is supported by MSU’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences. It is the school’s first dedicated space for students engaged in esports, a rapidly growing industry centered around organized professional or semiprofessional competitive video game play.
It also is the first higher education esports facility Alienware has helped establish in Michigan, one of three such facilities nationally.
The lounge is a 1,027-square-foot space on the main floor of the MSU ComArtSci building. It is open to all MSU students and features 12 Alienware Aurora R16 battle stations — Alienware’s most advanced and most powerful desktop, powered by 14th Gen Intel Core processors — as well as Alienware m16 laptops, console gaming space, a varsity room, and broadcast studio.
“We are honored to have the partnership of Dell Technologies, which is a critical pillar of the global technology industry,” says Teresa Woodruff, interim president of MSU. “Elevating esports in our college of communication arts and sciences complements the college’s top-ranked game design and development program and prepares many students for careers in technology, while ushering in an exciting new era of competition and community at MSU.”
The university celebrated the opening of the Alienware MSU Esports Lounge on Jan. 17 with guests, including Aerial Powers, a former MSU women’s basketball player and esports brand and diversity ambassador with Team Liquid. She currently plays for the WNBA Minnesota Lynx.
The facility will provide a hands-on esports experience for the Spartan gaming community and host team competitions.
“We are proud to partner with MSU on this next chapter of MSU gaming and esports,” says Matt McGowan, general manager of Alienware. “We are committed to supporting collegiate gamers, from novice to varsity player, by providing the high-performance PCs, displays, and equipment required to help them compete to their best abilities.”
The Spartan gaming community began with student groups and clubs. In 2016, students established the MSU Esports Club Association to unify the different gaming clubs and build a larger community rooted in the enjoyment of video games. The community has since grown to more than a dozen clubs, representing more than 2,000 students.
“Built on a foundation of excellence in media, game design, and storytelling, MSU consistently ranks among the leading institutions for game design programs,” says Teresa Mastin, interim dean of the MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences. “For Michigan State, esports provides an opportunity to expand multiple aspects of academic life, student success, engagement, and community building.”
MSU announced its first varsity esports team roster in 2023, competing in both the National Association of Collegiate Esports, known as NACE, and the Big Esports Conference, or BEC. The Spartans’ performance last fall earned them many tournament victories and a spot in the NACE Starleague Grand Finals; they will finish their BEC season this February.
