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Northwest's esports program operates in the Esports Lab in its J.W. Jones Student Union. (Photo by Chandu Ravi Krishna/Northwest Missouri State University)
With two championships this spring and a level of student engagement that places it among the campus’s most popular activities, Northwest Missouri State University’s esports program is thriving.
In April, Northwest’s “Valorant” team, playing a tactical shooter game, earned its second consecutive National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) Plus Division Championship. Northwest’s “Rocket League” team, which involves players piloting cars in a soccer match, also earned a NACE Plus Division Championship.
The success qualifies Northwest to advance its play to NACE’s higher Premier Division.
“The importance of claiming a NACE Plus Division Championship marks Northwest’s esports program as a competitive program able to compete against some of the highest-quality teams in the nation,” Andrew Murphy, Northwest’s esports director, said.
Northwest competes as an affiliate of NACE, which supports about 200 varsity esports programs at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Similar to traditional sports, members of Northwest’s esport varsity teams fill positions – there’s an “A team” and “B team” – to compete on specific video games.
About 150 students are active in Northwest's Esports Club, which sponsors gaming activities in the University's Esports Lab. (Photo by Chandu Ravi Krishna/Northwest Missouri State University)
Since arriving at the University in 2023 to lead its esports program, Murphy has focused on ensuring the esports lab and its club offer something for all Northwest students. He emphasizes academics and graduation as much as building individual skills, values and community.
“I’m trying to grow them as a person but trying to get them to hit their peak performance as an athlete,” said Murphy, who also serves as executive director of the Midwest Collegiate Esports Conference and as a member of NACE’s Eligibility Enforcement Committee. “All those things that you see in traditional sports are very much taught through the esports structure.”
With as many as 500 students engaging with the esports program at Northwest during the past year, about 150 students are active in its club, making it one of the largest student organizations at the University. Additionally, 20 students competed during the 2024-25 academic year as esports scholarship recipients.
“College students continuously evolve, and this important work continues to support a growing segment of our current and future students,” Dr. Matt Baker, Northwest’s vice president of student affairs, said. “As we evaluate programs and services that engage students in their journeys to and through Northwest, Andrew and the students he leads have come together to form a strong community that we are excited to watch have great success. The interest and notoriety for esports at Northwest is growing each semester.”
According to a recent Pew Research Center report, 85 percent of U.S. teens report playing video games, and 41 percent do so at least once a day. Further, four in 10 identify as a “gamer.” The gaming industry is widely cited as one of the fastest-growing.
Similarly, in just five years, Northwest’s esports program is rapidly outgrowing its space in the Student Union. In addition to open hours that invite students to visit the Esports Lab and play games of their choice, the space hosts theme days for designated games. This spring, it even hosted drone simulation activities in partnership with a geography course.
“What drives me and motivates me is hearing those students that come up to me and say, ‘If I didn't have esports, I wouldn’t have gone to college’ or ‘I wouldn’t have come to Northwest,’ or ‘I wouldn’t have been the person I am because the things that you taught me made me a better person,’” Murphy said.
For more information about esports at Northwest, call 660.562.1759, email esports@nwmissouri.edu or visit www.nwmissouri.edu/esports/.
