#In high school I was a local top Super Smash Melee player

[supercunninglinguist]

Super Speculation Brothers: Ultimate Prediction

Speculation on the Super Smash Brothers Ultimate Fighters Pass is my new favourite example of how complex statistical predictions can get, especially because I've been out of the Super Smash news loop since ~2008.

There were all sorts of requests for characters during the lifetime of SSBM (Super Smash Brothers Melee), and for the original on the Nintendo 64. and almost all of the most popular requests (that fall in line with M. Sakurai's only 2 genuine rules: it has to be a video game character, and there has to be a possible moveset) have been fulfilled. Sonic, Snake, Diddy Kong, Megaman, Bayonetta, Ridley, Cloud, and Ryu were all highly requested by fans, and all have made it into the roster. More recently, Sephiroth, Steve & Alex, and Banjo & Kazooie got in, and were also long-requested characters.

so, when it comes to predicting who will get into the Super Smash Ultimate roster, fan-requests and popularity are by far the most important metric.

But the accuracy of predictions depends on how broad or narrow your claim is (of course its easy to make trivial broad predictions, e.g. "tomorrow night the moon will be in sky"). For example, Min Min is the fighter from ARMS, and an ARMS fighter on the roster was already highly-requested and highly-predicted. There were few true predictions for Min Min's inclusion, but there were a lot of predictions for the ARMS series. on the other hand, Joker from Persona5 was a highly unpredictable inclusion. and out in the middle of prediction, everybody was predicting a character from Xenoblade Chronicles, but a majority of predictions appeared to be for Rex (& Pyra), not the Pyra\Mythra duo. and I haven't even gotten to the fact that true details were sometimes leaked out early, that "inclusion" into SSBU is itself pretty broad (fighters aren't the only way to include characters or a video game series), and the whole shotgun effect because there are so many people predicting who will be included into Smash Ultimate - inevitably some number of those predictions will be correct, even if its only the medium-level predictions of, say, which series will get in under any category, rather than naming an individual character for an individual slot on the Fighters Pass.

Current popular speculations for Fighters Pass 2: Crash Bandicoot from Crash, Master Chief from Halo, Ryu Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden, Lloyd Irving from Tales Of Symphonia, and Dr. Eggman\Robotnik from Sonic.

Personally, I want Shantae, and Rayman, from their respective eponymous series. or a character from Golden Sun: The Lost Age, maybe Felix? But who do I actually predict? I'm gonna have to go with Lloyd Irving, Crash Bandicoot, or Master Chief for at least one slot, because these 3 are the most-requested characters from Japan, Europe, and the USA. also I do think it's likely that there will be a 3rd Fighters Pass later, or possibly a few individual fighters.

As an adult, I don't really suffer from the whole Fear-Of-Missing-Out because I've just got too much other stuff to attend to.. but I can't deny that it feels pretty awesome to get back into Smash and see the new fighters release, even if I only jumped in right after Byleth was announced, finishing Fighters Pass 1.

[emperor-uncarnate]

My Top 20 Favorite Video Games

(Listed in the order in which I played them)

Pokémon Red Version - Along with my matching red Game Boy Pocket, this was the first video game I owned that was purely mine and not handed down from an older kid. I still go back and replay this every couple of years on that very same Game Boy Pocket or on the 3DS Virtual Console. I know there’s FireRed and a whole series of more modern Pokémon games at my disposal but the original Red Version easily gets the most nostalgia points. Sometimes that’s what it’s all about, no? Banjo-Kazooie - Similarly, the N64 became my first home console that wasn’t a hand-me-down and it came equipped with both bear and bird (complete with “screaming about it on Christmas morning”). After going back and replaying this almost twenty years later I gained new appreciation for how goofy and colorful it is. Treasure Trove Cove is so fucking catchy. Sonic Adventure 2 Battle - From its kickin’ soundtrack to its satisfying controls to its random-ass virtual pet simulator this game has it all. Multiplayer was always pretty exciting too, I remember many an afternoon trying to one-up a friend during a grind race. No 3D Sonic game compares to this if you ask me, although Sonic Heroes and Sonic Unleashed come sort of close in their own ways. What I wouldn’t give for a proper Sonic Adventure 3... Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes - I remember playing this at my local arcade in my youth before eventually getting a port of it for the Xbox 360. The look of its 2D sprites are phenomenal and - if it will help you understand why I love this game - I’m singing “I Wanna Take You For a Ride” to myself as I type this. Metroid: Zero Mission - This was the first Metroid game I ever actually beat, and it was the game that made me fall in love with the series. I love Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Samus Returns as well but I like Zero Mission’s visual style the most. I was so thrown for a loop when Samus lost her Power Suit towards the end of the game but it only made getting it back that much sweeter.  Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - I started playing this one in 2004 but didn’t officially beat it until way later in 2017. For a while I had a pattern I’d go through every few years of “start playing, enjoy it for a while, get lost, and start over for some reason.” Took me thirteen years to get serious about it but it earned its place as my favorite of the 3D Metroid games. I felt so fulfilled once it was complete, like I was achieving a childhood dream. Kingdom Hearts II - I don’t think I would’ve gotten into this game if not for my friend’s suggestion but I couldn’t thank him enough for it. This is another one of those games you only vaguely understand when you’re a kid only to realize how complex and intuitively designed it is in your adulthood. After the long wait, Kingdom Hearts III proved to be pretty satisfying but I just have too much history with its predecessor for it not to win a spot on this list. Jak 3 - Though my interest in this series burned fast and bright, this game still sticks out to me as one of the best I’ve ever experienced. I played the third installment before Jak and Daxter or Jak 2 but that’s fine because it’s the best goddamn one. Driving around in the desert, swapping out gun modules, and taking flight on some janky wings made of light were definitely the highlights for me. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm - I got into this game during the latter period of Wrath of the Lich King but I didn’t feel like an official WoW player until this fiery, grim expansion. It was the first real online game I’d ever played (if you don’t count Neopets and Adventure Quest) that I started as a Night Elf Warrior in a PVP server and ended as a Worgen Hunter in a non-PVP server. Because fuck the Horde, that’s why. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - I got Skyrim on a whim because I literally couldn’t think of anything else I wanted for Christmas in 2011. There was no hype for me, I knew nothing ‘bout no Dragonborns, but I thought “heck it” and dove in anyway. After originally playing it on Xbox 360 and replaying it more recently on PS4 (with a slew of mods) I can say with confidence this game continues to blow me away. I always seem to find something new even though I feel like I know it like the back of my hand. I did get involved in The Elder Scrolls Online later on but Skyrim is still where it’s at. Soul Calibur V - I was first introduced to the tale of souls and swords (eternally retold, of course) through Soul Calibur II and only because you could play as Link on the Gamecube version. Fast-forward to 2012 and I was still on board with its story and cast of characters but its character creation was really what kept me hooked. Soul Calibur VI turned out to be a little disappointing but I definitely got the most out of its fifth installment and I’m guilty of having played for hours and hours on end. Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward - What began as a free trial because I was bored turned into a years-long interest in yet another MMO. While the base game was okay it really picked up speed with Heavensward and I was hooked from that point onwards. After a certain point I caught myself not skipping cutscenes and discovered - oh hey - the story’s actually really good. Star Wars Battlefront - I loved this game when it came out on PS4 and used it often to get my insatiable Star Wars fix. Aerial combat was my downright favorite part of the game and I loved smoking some TIE Fighters in an X-Wing or in the Millennium Falcon. Its sequel Star Wars Battlefront II could’ve made this list but EA was being a real dirtbag about it and now I find it hard to look back on happy memories of it the same way. The 2015 game is thankfully unsullied by those sour elements, however, so I’d say its gotta be my favorite Star Wars game ever. Overwatch - This game came to me at a time when I only wanted to play games that had character creation. I was hesitant to get to know all the characters and lore but I’m overjoyed I did since they’re so rich in personality and fun details. Once I got the hang of characters like McCree, Soldier, Reinhardt, and Widowmaker I was absolutely sold and I still play it two years later. Sonic Mania - The delightful trailer for this game got me all riled up but I wouldn’t know just how great it was until I was playing it myself. I don’t think I could ever truly enjoy my previous favorite 2D Sonic games (Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and Sonic CD) ever again because this game just feels better than all of them combined.  The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - I didn’t really grow up with the Legend of Zelda, only ever playing A Link to the Past and Twilight Princess, but I immediately knew I was going to enjoy this open world take on the series. Just the sheer freedom of what you could do and where you could go was enough to reel me in and its aesthetic still amazes me with how great of a mood it generates. Final Fantasy VII - I still remember going into a GameStop when I was in high school and naively attempting to buy a used copy of this game for the PS1. It was an “epic fail,” as I would’ve said at the time. But over a decade later I downloaded it on the PS4 and went to town, getting my full FF7 experience at long last and loving every minute of it. Very stoked for the remake; it’s probably my most anticipated game right now. Marvel’s Spider-Man - What a surefire hit this was. From the moment the first gameplay footage was out I knew this was going to be the must-have web-swinging, wall-crawling good time. I love that there are so many ways to play the same character and everyone can really embody their own version of Peter Parker. I’m also from New York City so seeing a digital rendition of Manhattan was a real treat (even though they changed uptown a lot and my old apartment doesn’t exist in the game). Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Nine of the other nineteen entries in this list feature a character who’s playable in this latest Smash game. I get that people like Melee for reasons and whatever but how can you not like SSBU, the game that has it all? I’m still riding the high of Banjo and Kazooie entering the fray and I absolutely cannot wait to see where things go from here. Never had more fun playing local multiplayer in my life. Red Dead Redemption II - Never cared for Grand Theft Auto and the first Red Dead Redemption was fun but damn, there’s nothing quite like its sequel. I’m still working my way through the story just because I’ve spent so much time out in the wide open world, taking my time and seeing the sights. I might be a city boy but I have a deep appreciation for the American West and if this game ain’t just the prettiest damn thing I ever did see... hoo-WEE! Top shelf.

[techcoffee]

Episode 48 | Techcoffee

https://venturebeat.com/2019/08/11/summer-slump-continues-for-game-industry-tv-spend/

https://venturebeat.com/2019/08/14/magic-the-gathering-esports-expands-with-players-tour-and-rivals-league-in-2020/

https://esportsobserver.com/oceania-recap-aug26-2019/

https://www.ruok.org.au/

https://esportsinsider.com/2019/08/this-week-in-esports-mastercard-ford-call-of-duty-franchising/

https://esportsinsider.com/2019/08/weplay-forge-of-masters-season-2/

https://betakit.com/11-canadian-companies-participating-in-y-combinators-summer-2019-cohort/

https://betakit.com/following-three-year-rebuild-joist-acquired-by-colorado-based-evercommerce/

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tube hit periscope and Twitter so looking for that LinkedIn connection will get there all right as he said the links there we go there we are good morning all right tech coffee order to talk tech news business startups and anything related to tech coffee maybe in the morning we'll will spend about a half an hour chatting over the news and then we'll document all the all the sites and news we went through on tech coffee org so if you want to follow along follow along on Twitter tech coffee and if you want to find out after the fact all of the video content and news that we go over and share will be out tech coffee org let's see our first first story here from ventureBeat summer slump continues for game industry TV spend post that over on Twitter let's see Super Mario 2 in action sweet picture I let's see game brands just for just Bend for the third month in a row okay so it's the gaming brands 6.2 from June's eight point seven Nintendo Domini with 60% rockstar game 36 so it's their TV spend anyway so that's great I mean they see the trends where less people are watching TV more people are actually watching twitch of their games or talking about their games on social media platforms so this spend is specifically on TV level of your dreams is partner with I spot TV there was on TV ad measures in an attribution platform monthly report okay leaks leads thanks to its estimated 3.7 million on nine ads that ran nearly 2,200 times generating 386 million impressions the Super Mario 2 ad about $900,000 level of your dreams okay so their priorities were Nick team Nick and Nick Tunes during shows like spongebob the loud house and iCarly rockstar spent 2.2 on the Grand Theft Auto game of course that aired 88 times resulting in 48 million impressions CBS NBC and FX top programs The Late Show Tonight Show and The Late Show hmm James Corden Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon so I guess the audience would make sense there for GTA let's see THQ games third place with 117 thousand for two ads aired 60 times generate 4.2 million impressions that was on TV channels like NBC MAV TV NBC Sports India round IndyCar racing motorcycle racing and motocross okay that makes sense Madden let's see if they had oh yeah okay Madden EA Sports spent 53,000 I'm placing one commercial bring it in for Madden NFL two want me arrange 66 times around 13 million impressions it ran on ESPN NFL Network and espn2 facepunch SportsCenter first take and get up Xbox closes out only spending four thousand 4400 placing a single add four years five six times generate 1.3 million impressions as it aired on TBS during eleague well that makes a lot of sense so it's interesting I guess as TV becomes more irrelevant this is the TV and all the different networks are the different apps that we use on it makes sense so it should seem less ads it's just interesting you have to build your own network in so you're buying your network on TV and that network is dwindling and then social is growing but it's less social this platform like NBC this plant Twitter or CBS Facebook it's more the brand itself has to be on anything that people are paying attention to so it's really your number of impressions or views are really gonna be on you as a brand across all the different platforms in here so that's what probably people are struggling with what these brands are struggling with is it's now on us to build up our brand recognition we can't just buy into it all right that was from ventureBeat this next one's from Venture Beat Magic the Gathering eSports expands with players tour and rivals League in 2020 thank you yeah that's what we like to see there's that tech coffee you want to follow along just follow the hashtag tech coffee and I'll be posting the the article as I read them on Twitter so you can click into the article and follow along with me as well good morning so this was August 14th which was about two weeks ago night's gathering on several changes to its eSports and Pro tabletops late today new addition to its Pro League was another cosets magic will feature its top broadcast events just aren't digital magic okay so it's not just broadcasting the players to her o regional tournament system expand a global play chance to qualify for 2020 mythic invitationals magic pro league is coming back adding rivals League World Championship brings together top players feels a bit confusing don't be surprised I had a hard time following all as well okay so here's the explanation of how it differs from Elaine chase VP of eSports quote magic is growing in both tabletop and MTG arena and we need a competitive structure that can grow with it okay what the table top players tour and MTG arena mythic Invitational offer twice once a qualification slot see players around the world vastly increasing play opportunities no matter which platform you prefer alright so you can do it either way and still qualify for example the nine regional players - or events wall for 3600 invites double the approximate 1,800 invites of a meal tour mythic championship system so she continues each MTG arena mythic Invitational will be fed by two mythic qualifier tournaments the top 1200 ranked players and monthly MTG play and constructed or limited at the end of each qualifying month eligible to compete OTG Arena players will get a new way to increase their mythic points with mythic point challenge tournaments alright these are new events on the MTG arena that allow those that allow those who don't want to compete at the highest levels to increase their mythic point count to rank up to rivals and get their shot at the MPL already seen and then the the challenge tournaments we've already seen that this year all right players tour is all about paper magic because it's the three regions Americas Europe and ancient Asia Pacific no brawls for you it's a format which you brew a deck just one copy of a card plus commander so I wonder if they were didn't choose we're always looking at innovate on formats it'll make the best competitive and broadcast experience great so if you're an MTG player I'm curious what you think about the new format and if you're going to be a part of the regional play or even care to make it to make it as a rival I guess as yeah let's check Oh priorities right okay let's see enter meet Magic the Gathering mmm all right next up no born eSports lineup expands click eSports launching fortnight tournament series alright alright know born Melbourne Melbourne eSports open Ubisoft experience a new click eSports fortnight series for all big lineup events of Australian eSports community over the coming months Melbourne the first leg expands so August 31st through September 2nd tournament announcements additional events so there's an event is to feature mix of open and pro events so over 40 East war including fortnight minecraft overwatch League of Legends rocket Lee Pokemon both card and game formats Forza Motorsport Forza horizon halo 3 Rainbow six siege Starcraft 2 csgo call of duty black ops for Street Fighter 5 Dragon Ball Z Tekken 7 Super Smash bro ultimate and melee that's quite the that's quite the gaming tournament right like that's quite the expansive games let's see so they're just making an announcement here will host League of Legends finals range both these players the finals australia high school youth sports champion featured finals for o so also the high school esports championship will be hosted there that is produced by tag live ESL Fairfax events and entertainment supported by the city Melbourne taking a mission I'm becoming Australia's home of eSports there you go get a focus on it weekend's upcoming are you ok mental health clarity are you ok oh that's great supporting on Thursday September 12th ahead of the event to highlight you know soft experience support from the charity great since romantic emotion growth curve Twitter all right some numbers the lace report which surveyed 1,200 households watch 41% had watch eSports without one quarter participants actually following eSports teams than 8 percent said they would enjoy culture around watching eSports they participate social connections and one third said it was from the challenge at a participation level one quarter said they had participated in eSports with half saying that it played for social connection and one third saying it was for the challenge it's real alright there's that now three more from eSports insider and then to beta kits and we'll wrap it up Oceana recap let's look at that just a shout-out to the are you ok group they have are you ok day September 12 I support an initiative like that conversation would change a life ask are you okay listen encourage action and check in are you ok day is for 2019 Thursday 12 September Thursday 12 September is are you ok day thanks for all the work you guys are doing out there are you ok I'm gonna put a link to that also yeah we need more honest conversations around suicide prevention all right eSports insider this week in eSports MasterCard Ford call of duty franchising its footprint in league of legends so big brands advertising in these communities where there's lots of people doing the activity right playing the games there's also this tiered system of average players advanced players pro players and then the consumption of the content around that gameplay right it's not just that all these people are playing now there's this giant breath that's growing of people who are also consuming that content of that gameplay so Ford and MasterCard are jumping on the bandwagon here and when I stay jumping on the this is about their expansion so they've already been there spans Riot Games partnership to cover League of Legends Championship Series global partnership with MasterCard League of Legends champions and deal with the summer split finals in Detroit they're sponsoring the opening ceremonies Ford launches fordzilla to house national eSports teams ok they have a neat logo they've made here check it out here it's over on Twitter timcanpy Ford Forza Motorsport seven other racing titles be recruiting national teams France Germany Italy Spain and UK mitzvah'd gaming ecology franchise spots it's it had acquired the Florida slot in the upcoming call of duty franchise League miami-based eSports organization owns supported mayhem a franchise in act Activision Blizzard's overwatch League okay so these different companies are buying out the league's and running the league's crink Crowe in sports Kroenke sports and entertainment also acquired the spot a spot in the franchise Call of Duty League securing a la franchise this isn't the first la franchise spot in the league to be sold by Activision Blizzard however with immortals gaming club ready already owning the spot in the exact same city ok.well leagues are expanding I guess more franchises are coming up and then bigger brands are wanting a part of the action so it's just gonna get more competitive on the business side let's see speaking of that here's the here's the next piece of news for from esports insider yes girl we play announce the second season of forge of masters league has reveals details surrounding second season of Counter Strike global Offensive or forged masters taking place in autumn there's a total price purse $100,000 or any 1000 euros Jesus can't just scratch the hell out of my leg and a land final in Kiev Ukraine so different formatting it'll include European teams having previously only been accommodating people from the CIS region 12 European teams and 12 CIS rosters will qualify for the upcoming season Dmitry visits Development Director and we play told these sports insider the goal quote the goal of this league is to find train and temper new masters of csgo professional scene for teams we create conditional identical conditions identical to the game in Tier one Peschel on and for viewers a spectacular show and format that reveals the abilities of players nurturing grassroots and bringing young blood to this stage this is where the excitement drama and great show comes in creating opportunities for native brand integrations alright open qualifiers will kick off September 14th the first phase spanning over October 1st to the 13th the offline way and forge match we'll be hosted in we plays eSports Arena on November 15th through the 17th the two regions so he continues though this is Eugene community manager at csgo unlike season 1 yep so that two regions again but he continues that sir he just won't clash yet in the first stage of online phase by the end of the first stage three teams from each region will qualify to then come together in the two final chances that teams have to go on to the main event there are two remaining EU and CIS teams battle about sweet that's gonna be fun to watch I want to watch that unfold so I shared that on the Twitter tech coffee org and then use the hashtag tech coffee all one word you can find all this later on tech coffee org over to beta kit our first article 11 Canadian companies participating in y combinator summer 2019 cohort so I'm interested in who's those companies are summer program Y Combinator's 197 overall chuubo was founded co-founder according to me the two turned Kubo into the subscription platform services today 360,000 ARR alright is a platform that integrates delivery services like grub hub skip the dishes and door - okay a bigger umbrella right so now you get grub hub that's over everything door - that has all their customers Kubo wants to put a big umbrella over all those so no matter what customer wherever you want to go you can get your food delivered from wherever from whatever service right door - now it becomes just a commodity service like grub hub and then you use this platform to go to any of those platforms for any of the food you actually want just bigger umbrellas hacker new Juno Juno College technology formal hacker you participate in the most recent YC cohort then the following months after increase use brace coding schools some us-based coding schools offer similar payment options including lambda schools profitable under three reasons okay so it's either gonna offer 100% in-person courses compared to lambdas 100% online Juno's 87% student placement rate compared with lambdas 86% so then we program verses nine months Juneau Technical University for the future you interested to see what they come out with scholar me college focused startup offers app to help students apply for college university financing all through one application at a startup weekend in Chicago I just facilitated someone wanted to do a college focus startup around the college visit experience and being able to get multiple college visits in in a single trip and then focusing what your experience is at each college the things you want to see or the people you want to talk to all in one app so you don't have the back-and-forth of scheduling and communication all through email collab software based in st. John's Combinator cloud-based tracking and design management platform designed specifically for mechanical systems and product design teams to reduce the amount of time wasted on poor communication during the design lifestyle did you see what collab software is and how it functions day to day to reduce that friction itself is first of any face to student joined by a sequence secrets bio improve how we treat disease and develop medicines researching the one-of-a-kind genetic makeup better safer medicines o medicine would be great if it was individualized maybe the sequence by I was trying to sequence our DNA and then apply medicine appropriately more appropriately than current it's just very expensive to apply for individual if you can that's great together toronto-based together software platform helps create manage and measure employee mentoring programs all right mentor program called together santech labs Waterloo started a first-ever breathalyzer for cannabis ok santech lab says a breathalyzer for cannabis Mota gora nat agora with the goal of innovating detail industry with tech solution integrates shop sharing with showrooming store online brains every pop-up and showcase spaces the beam just that's a tough space if you can innovate the that's great it's a tough space pop-up shops and show shop shit airing with showrooming integrating the two interesting thought a lot of execution there a lot of opportunity there hatchways Tirana Bass new grads career shifters looking to find software engineering jobs startup qualifies the match candidates with paid work placements that are meant to help them discover those jobs in tech always placement issue being the data on the backend how do you know who XYZ person is and how do you know how have you mapped over XYZ job to make the match what's the data behind the matching demand curve the lambda school for growth for a growth marketing okay company teaches growth marketing to companies and individuals typically working with SAS companies e-commerce startups mobile and local services local service businesses all right so demand curve is a school teaching you about growth marketing so those are the 11 companies Canadian companies and YC this summer and our last one from beta kit following three year rebuild joist acquired by Colorado based ecommerce let's check this out and we can get back to our day okay there's a cool picture with some cool cats in sweatshirts and a big mural behind them on a nice brick wall must be super cool in hipster just kidding all right joist today's contractor management app okay then acquired by ever commerce terms the deal will not disclosed oh there were some layoffs when a pegboard company 2011 contractors managed things like estimates and invoices it's a big deal things there's a lot of moving parts around 2016 just begun experimenting with new market product that could connect contractors directly with homeowners Angie's List right if you're going to seem that there's sort of survives pivot these guys the whole team really were able to do that and up going a big way to manufacture an outcome that was great for them and investors we they say we genuinely thought and considered moving to San Francisco while the market product had more users in Toronto 90% of Joyce revenue and customers will come from the US after taking a step back onix's success in Toronto ultimately decided to stay great decision led us to our current outcome long story but we never left just looking to grow in coming weeks they're gonna have a pro version they've already converted 20,000 if it's 115,000 users during testing we want to make contractors heroes it's great Congrats that's awesome I definitely hope there's a evaluation method for after the fact once the contractor is done letting others know how things went and probably a vice-versa thing and make a lot of sense kind of like the Airbnb z-- of the world all right that's the tech news for today as always follow along hashtag tech coffee and find all the latest tech news that we read here on tech coffee and Tech Coffee org thanks for tuning in and we'll see you next week have a great week

[junker-town]

Utah’s new esports program could pave the way for paid college athletics

Utah is the first Power 5 school to offer a varsity esports program.

The popularity of competitive video games (colloquially known as esports) is booming, and colleges are beginning to take notice. Last year’s League of Legends Worlds final had more viewers (43 million unique viewers in 18 different languages) than Game 7 of the NBA finals (31 million). Esports in general brought in 323 million viewers in 2016, according to a study, and is projected to bring in nearly 600 million by 2020.

UC Irvine and Robert Morris were two of the first American universities to offer esports scholarships and have been among the most dominant collegiate programs in the country since. Even bigger athletic programs like Florida State have started offering esports classes, and the Big Ten Network recently partnered with Riot Games to televise the BTN Invitational, the first Big Ten League of Legends season (Maryland swept Illinois 3-0 in the final).

Now the University of Utah has joined the fray, with one of the biggest collegiate esports investments to date.

The school recently announced plans to launch a varsity esports program, with partial scholarships to start and plans to eventually have over 30 full scholarships. The school will start with a League of Legends team, and eventually expand to three other video game titles to be named in the coming weeks.

“RMU and UC Irvine are pioneers in collegiate esports and have made this an easier journey,” A.J. Dimick, director of operations for Utah’s esports program, told SB Nation. “Creating an esports program at a Power 5 school is uncharted territory, and I suppose we'll find out how it compares. We're definitely excited to find out.”

So what does a varsity esports program look like?

Similar to any other sports program, you’ll have players and coaches, as well as facilities (high-powered computers with good internet connections are a must, as are quality chairs, keyboards, and mice). One big difference: coaches will likely be a part of the scholarship count, rather than hiring from the outside, because of how young industry expertise skews (those knowledgable enough to coach are likely college-age or a little older).

For Utah, it’s a pretty natural fit. The school has one of the highest-ranked video game design programs in the country, and the Salt Lake Tribune says the school’s competitive gaming club, Crimson Gaming, has blossomed to over 600 members since being founded in 2013.

Photo via Utah EAE

Crimson Gaming

“We've had unbelievable support from the administration and President [David] Pershing,” Dimick said. “We have a thriving game club in Crimson Gaming and we have the Entertainment Arts & Engineering program, which is a world class game development program. Those two things have elevated the presence of gaming on this campus and made this really possible.”

Utah’s program is a boon to esports’ legitimacy nationally, but one question looms for anyone who follows college sports: what about the NCAA?

In esports, especially for games without organized league structures (like Super Smash Bros. Melee), there are frequent tournaments all around the country. Many offer prize money. If you’re good enough to consider playing competitively, you can make money from a young age by playing in local and national events.

It’s not just money from prize pools, either. For talented esports players, money-making options include sponsorships from esports-friendly brands like energy drinks or software companies, jobs with professional teams, and even full-time content creation through streaming services like Twitch and video platforms like YouTube.

That last path should be of particular interest. With Twitch, fans can donate money directly to players.

It’s one of the main sources of income for many professional players, and some players do it full-time instead of playing on a team. The NCAA might see a donation-based playing service as a problem, especially if more programs start and the best prospects become sought after by multiple schools. Seeing how college football fans act toward recruits on Twitter, it’s not hard to imagine a future in which fans of UC Irvine and Utah try to convince a top NBA 2K38 or Street Fighter XXIII prospect to attend their respective schools through competing donations on the player’s stream.

The NCAA won’t be involved with Utah’s esports program, according to Dimick, but Utah will still have an amateurism policy: any money earned with the team will go to the esports program’s scholarship fund, but otherwise, players are free to earn as they will.

“We want to make sure they are students first, but we want to do everything we can to support them for being willing to represent the University,” Dimick said.

Dimick has high hopes for the program, which he says has gotten positive responses on campus from administration and the student population.

“The reaction we've had on campus has been staggering and bigger than I imagined. We are thrilled.” Utah esports director of operations A.J. Dimick

“People who aren't familiar with esports regularly underestimate how big it is and how big it is on college campuses, and after announcing, I've come to the realization that maybe I have too,” Dimick said. “The reaction we've had on campus has been staggering and bigger than I imagined. We are thrilled.

“I think esports will continue to grow into becoming a mainstream college sport. The growth of it is undeniable, and I think combining the popularity of esports games like League of Legends with the built-in fan bases of college teams could make college esports huge.”

If varsity esports blossoms, will the NCAA want a piece of it?

The NCAA has historically gone to great lengths to prevent college athletes from receiving outside money, despite multi-billion dollar TV deals for its biggest events. Utah’s esports players will be allowed to earn outside money — if the NCAA eventually wants in on the revenue, would that require a change in policy?

Any attempts to unprofessionalize varsity esports would almost certainly hamper programs’ ability to recruit top talent. If you want to invest in a program with 30-plus scholarships (more than any varsity sport besides football), you’ll want to attract the best talent, right? But if varsity esports players are barred from earning money, will the best prospects choose to make money, leaving schools with less-qualified players who view gaming as a hobby rather than a potential occupation?

These are a lot of questions, and many won’t be answered any time soon, but it seems like there are three choices for NCAA involvement in esports.

Choice one: leave college esports alone and let the players earn money, missing out on profits generated as the industry grows.

Choice two: get involved (either through something like running official college championships or selling team gear), and let the players earn money off their own image, setting precedent for other varsity athletes to do the same in the future.

Choice three: get involved and don’t let the players earn money, making it an even more diluted version of college baseball or soccer, where the best talent usually goes straight from high school to the pros.

No matter which direction the NCAA decides to head in, the growth of collegiate esports has big implications for the future of not just esports, but college athletics in general.