Esports Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Initially, the center will only be open to current Cal students, staff and faculty. We want to gauge the demand from the campus and develop the community center’s programming before determining whether the space will be open to other groups. Given the limited space and the strong student interest, we don't have plans to open the center up to the general public at this time.

Foothill Academic Center is not a living space, so no campus bed spaces are being impacted by this. We recognize that Berkeley can be a challenging place for students to secure housing, and there are campus efforts underway (such as new and planned construction of housing in other locations) to address this.

For events where gaming stations aren't required, such as TED-style talks or professional development events, the Cal Esports Community Center will have capacity for about 100-150 people. However, the number of students who can game at any given time will be determined by the number of gaming setups we will have. Currently, we have 54 gaming setups planned for the center.

We listened to student feedback, and found there was a high level of campus excitement around the concept of having a dedicated space for esports. One example of this engagement includes the excitement over the Cal Overwatch esports team recently competing in a national tournament in Arizona.

In addition, the university views student wellness with a holistic approach, and this includes opportunities for student to engage in healthy social activities such as esports - but also our many other student organizations, athletic and recreational sports, Cal Greeks organizations, etc.

Berkeley’s approach brings together multiple aspects of the student experience and focuses on five overarching pillars: Community, Competition, Social Good, Wellness and Lifelong Learning.

In addition to competitive gaming, we're also focused on educational and professional development programs for esports student athletes, including a community innovation lab, exploring tie-ins to for-credit courses, connections to a professional, competitive team for students interested in becoming professional players, industry internships and job fairs in association with the campus Career Center, an alumni gaming chapter, and an esports set of community guidelines.

The university views student wellness with a holistic approach, and this includes opportunities for student to engage in healthy social activities such as esports. Our ability to transcend and diversify traditional programming creates greater opportunities for our students to participate, connect, and create inclusive experiences. One of the key pillars of the initiative is “wellness.” We will be working with Recreation & Wellbeing and students to encourage healthy habits (and provide information on campus resources) regarding nutrition, health, physical (including ergonomics) and mental wellness, academics, and sleep.

One of Student Affairs’ priorities is gender diversity in gaming. The Student Affairs’ Business Development team has established a working group, which includes representatives from the Women in Science & Engineering (WiSE) theme program, women who live in Foothill, Residential Education, and students in the gaming community, to develop our Women in Gaming Initiative. The Women in Gaming Initiative’s key goals include: equality, empowerment, and integration. The effort is still in the early stages and we will have more information to share as it develops.

ggLeap accounts are created at the front desk of the Community Center. Student staff will assist in account creation on-site, and your ggLeap account can only be accessed at the Cal Esports Community Center.

All gamers are required to have a valid Cal ID to enter the facility and use the gaming computers or attend special events.

Yes, we are always listening and working with the Cal gaming community to offer the most widely-played and enjoyed games as possible. There is limited hard drive space on each computer however, so we are selective on game choices.

A student who is interested in gaming, but has very little to no prior experience.

A student who has played games before for fun and wants to get involved in the social side of gaming at Cal.

A student who devotes some of their time to playing games competitively for Cal teams.

You can sign in to the Cal Esports portal with your CalNet to subscribe to our mailing list, where you will receive regular updates about gaming on campus.

We will be putting together a quick starter's guide to gaming that has valuable information on the best set-ups for those who want to get into gaming without breaking the bank.

Twitch is the premier video game streaming website that gamers use around the world to share their experiences. We utilize Twitch services at Cal Esports to broadcast our tournament and community events.

League of Legends is the world’s most popular video game and features a robust esports community. Cal Esports competes in this game as well as many others, you can learn more about what we compete in here.

Discord is an online text/voice chat system gamers use around the world to connect with each other. We have our own Discord server where you can meet and play games with other gamers at Cal.

You can find the latest events, LANs, and meetings posted on our Event Calendar.

You can find a list of most gaming clubs on the Cal Gaming Clubs page; feel free to check out what opportunities there are to get involved at Cal.

Yes, there is a range of courses about gaming offered at Cal that you can enroll in. We have a list of all the related courses here.

We will be offering a number of internships and job opportunities listed on our forthcoming Careers/Internships page.

You can watch the Cal Esports teams play over on our official Twitch team channel, click here to see the streaming schedule.

Tryout and event times will be posted on the Event Calendar regularly.

You can find a list of most gaming clubs on our Cal Gaming Clubs page, feel free to check out what opportunities there are to get involved at Cal.

Yes, there is a range of courses about gaming offered at Cal that you can enroll in. We have a list of all the related courses here.

We have a number of internships and job opportunities listed on our Careers/Internships tab, updated regularly.

You can watch the Cal Esports teams play over on our official Twitch team channel, click here to see the streaming schedule.