CREATE. COMPETE. COMMUNITY.
ESPORTS
AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF KENTUCK Y
The University of Kentucky is home
to the first-of-its-kind global gaming and esports program. Through a
partnership with Gen.G, the global
esports organization connecting the
best gamers in the United States and Asia, this innovative program brings
together academics, community and
professional development, collegiate competition and multidisciplinary
research around a growing global sport and business.
Together, UK and Gen.G are
creating an innovative esports
program — unlike any other in the country — that maximizes student
success and the potential for career opportunities in what is now a
global, multibillion-dollar industry.
“UK ESPORTS HELPED ME OPEN UP MY MIND TO THE POSSIBILITIES THAT EXISTED AROUND A GAME I’VE BEEN PLAYING FOR FREE MY WHOLE LIFE.” – George Bell, UK Alumnus
At the same time, as part of UK’s
larger Smart Campus initiative, the university is pursuing ways to use
esports and other technologies to build a stronger and larger sense of community on campus.
INSTAGRAM: @ukyesportslounge
TWITTER: @ukyesportslnge
“I LOVE HOW UK IS NOT AFRAID TO DO DIFFERENT THINGS, AND I THINK IT ULTIMATELY SHOWS THAT UK IS REALLY ABOUT THE STUDENTS AND HOW CAN WE BRING MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO THE UNIVERSITY TO EXPAND PEOPLE’S REACH OR EXPAND THEIR CAREER OPTIONS.” – Erin Ashley Simon, UK Alumna
GEN.G
Partnership A global esports organization
founded in 2017, with offices in
Seoul, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Shanghai, Gen.G, owns and
manages championship heritage teams competing in the world’s
biggest esports competitions on the world’s most recognizable gaming franchises — Overwatch, League of
Legends, Fortnite, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Clash Royale, Call
of Duty, Apex Legends and NBA 2K. Gen.G’s partnership with UK was
created to develop new pathways
for student recruitment, classroom and internship opportunities;
research avenues for scholars across various colleges; and professional development for alumni. Through this partnership, UK is becoming
a leading institution to open access
to the best career paths in gaming — a $130+ billion global industry — has to offer.
AT IT S CO RE , G E N .G’S M I S S I O N
I S T O H E L P FA N S AND ATHLE TES USE THE POWER OF GA MING TO GE T AHE AD IN AND BEYOND THE COMPE TITION.
PA RTN E R S H I P
“WE AT GEN.G ARE HEAVILY INVESTED IN GROUNDBREAKING ESPORTS EDUCATION INITIATIVES TO PROMOTE THE OPPORTUNITIES OF TOMORROW. AND THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY IS A VITAL PART OF MAKING THIS A REALITY. UK’S DEDICATION TO FULLY LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY AND MOST PERTINENT INTERESTS, SUCH AS GAMING, TO BEST ENGAGE AND PREPARE ITS STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE EXEMPLIFIES THIS FACT. WITH A BRAND NEW BUILDING DEDICATED TO INNOVATION WITH A SPACE SPECIFICALLY FOR GAMING ENTHUSIASTS AS WELL AS TREND-SETTING DIGITAL EVENTS UTILIZING GAMING AS A MEDIUM, UK IS A PIONEERING FORCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION.” – Chris Park, CEO of Gen.G esports
GEN.G Partnership PA RTN E R S H I P
GEN.G FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP Announced in 2020 with UK as a founding partner, the Gen.G Foundation Scholarship
is a $1 million commitment to developing the next generation of leaders in the gaming industry. Gen.G has pledged to commit $100,000 annually for ten years to support diverse students enrolled at UK who are interested in majoring in gaming, esports, entrepreneurship, journalism or content creation.
“THE GEN.G FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP HAS OPENED MY EYES TO AMAZING CAREERS IN ESPORTS THAT I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW EXISTED. IT HAS OPENED NEW DOORS AND HELPED ME MEET OTHER PEOPLE WITH SIMILAR GOALS WHILE ALLOWING ME TO FOCUS ON EDUCATION AND MY FUTURE.” – Prem Patel, UK student, inaugural winner of the Gen.G Foundation Scholarship
STUDY ABROAD
GEN.G TIGERS AT UK
Head to Seoul, South Korea, for a unique
For their 2021 season, Gen.G brought their
Abroad & Exchanges program.
Shanghai, to UK to practice and compete virtually
four-week experience with UK’s Education
At two top-tier institutions, Hanyang University and Korea University, you will gain a greater understanding of another culture and have
the opportunity to participate in customized
esports activities designed by Gen.G, to provide
networking opportunities with global professionals. Learn more at go.uky.edu/EsportsAbroad
NBA 2K League team, the Gen.G Tigers of
from the University of Kentucky Federal Credit Union Esports Lounge at The Cornerstone.
Follow the team on Twitter: @GenGTigersSH
UK AND GEN.G
PROGRAMMING AND EVENTS Engage in programming and events that UK and Gen.G host - participate as a caster, behind the scenes in production, etc.
“I’M REALLY EXCITED TO BE A PART OF BIG BLUE NATION’S HOOPS AT HOME TOURNAMENT FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW AND DEFEND MY TITLE. ESPORTS IS A GREAT WAY TO BRING TOGETHER OUR COMMUNITY AND HAVE FUN CONNECTING WITH OTHER UK FANS AROUND THE COUNTRY.” – Immanuel Quickley, Former UK basketball player and current New York Knicks guard
SCAN TO VIEW HIGHLIGHTS OF RECENT EVENTS!
go.uky.edu/UKEsports2020
RECENT EVENTS ALSO INCLUDE:
Cup “THE TOURNAMENT WAS FUN AND WE WERE GLAD TO COMPETE. WE HOPE TO SEE THIS TOURNAMENT BACK AGAIN NEXT YEAR.” – Nelson K., Texas A&M University
s t r o Esp
CREATE THRU
Develop your skills for creating engaging content and esports programs. You will be able to further your studies with new academic options focused on video games and esports.
ACADEMICS
UK ESPORTS ON TWITCH
Pursue new academic options at UK that focus on
Serving as the home of UK Esports programming,
video games and esports:
• Undergraduate Certificates
o Esports Performance & Management (College of Education)
o Game Development (College of Arts & Sciences)
• Undergraduate Minor
o Video Game Studies (College of Communication & Information)
UK and Gen.G utilize Twitch to live stream its esports competitions, events, and streams on the UK Twitch channel.
You may be able to work with the esports team to
create streams for the UK Twitch channel based on topics of your interest.
• Internship Opportunities
o Explore internships that include studio production
TUNE IN DAILY TO SEE THE LATEST CONTENT FROM UK!
including streaming or becoming a video game journalist and reviewing materials for a site.
Your work will be featured online.
o Consider an internship that focuses on the
planning and production of gaming and esports
with the Media Depot and Faculty Media Depot. twitch.tv/universityofky
COMPETE IN E SPORTS
Join the student-run UK Esports Club, where you can participate and play in games with fellow club members, coach a current team or organize an esports tournament. Learn more at http://go.uky.edu/UKYEsportsClub Twitter icon: @ukyesports
“THE UNIVERSITY IS CREATING OPPORTUNITIES TO LEVERAGE THE RAPIDLY GROWING INDUSTRY TO ALLOW STUDENTS TO FIND BELONGING, DEVELOP NEW SKILLS AND DISCOVER A PASSION THAT CAN KICK START A FUTURE CAREER.” – Thomas Bailey, Computer Science Major and President of the Esports Club
COMMUNITY UK’s newest gaming space,located at The Cornerstone, is designed to invite UK students, campus constituents,
and community visitors to experience PC gaming on high-end gaming machines in a comfortable and welcoming environment at the University of Kentucky Federal Credit Union Esports Lounge.
AS THE PRIMARY HOME FOR UK ESPORTS, THE SPACE FEATURES: • 100 seat Esports Theater
• 44 gaming stations that include: o Aurora R11 equipped with – Intel i7 - 10700K CPU
– NVIDA 2080 Super GPU
– 16GB RAM and M2 SSDs
o HyperX Accessories (keyboard, mouse and headset) o Omega Secret Lab Chairs
• Xbox One X, PlayStation 4 Pro and Nintendo Switch consoles Learn more at esports.uky.edu/lounge TAKE AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE CORNERSTONE!
go.uky.edu/Cornerstone
401 S. Limestone St. Lexington, KY 40508 esports.uky.edu
INSTAGRAM: @ukyesportslounge
TWITTER: @ukyesportslnge