The competitive landscape of eSports hasn't only spread to colleges and universities – it's now an activity that can land you a scholarship! Robert Morris University's Executive Director of eSports Kurt Melcher explains why his school was the first to offer a scholarship to League of Legends players, and why other schools are following suit.

Having worked in both traditional athletics and in eSports, Kurt brings a unique point of view on why eSports athletes aren't so different from what a person might think of as a "regular" athlete. Plus: what separates a professional eSports player from other competitive gamers.

Links we discussed:

• 2017 Collegiate eSports Report via The Next Level
• 25 Video Game Violence Studies, Summarized (via Kotaku)
• eSports to be a medal event at 2022 Asian Games

More on Robert Morris University and other eSports:

• Robert Morris University League of Legends Team Page
• University League of Legends College Championship
• North America League of Legends Championship Series
• Europe League of Legends Championship Series
• The International (Dota 2)
• ELEAGUE (professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive league)
• ESPN eSports Hub
• Kurt Melcher's TEDx Talk "Gamers: The rising stars of collegiate athletics"

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Full episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/get-a-college-scholarship-for-esports

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