Technology: Miami Univ. Library Hosts Esports Arena

Modeled after traditional sports leagues, it will feature 12 teams of salaried, professional players competing against one another through a six-month regular season, beginning in January 2018 and culminating in a championship series in July--but in this case playing Blizzard Entertainment's popular first-person shooter Overwatch. Separately, Take-Two Interactive Software, a major game publisher, has partnered with the National Basketball Association to launch the NBA 2K League, with 17 teams beginning a season of competition in May 2018. During the past 18 months, a network of almost 50 collegiate varsity programs have launched and joined the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), a nonprofit membership association formed in July 2016 to lay the groundwork for standards such as student and institutional eligibility, path to graduation, competition, and scholarships.