SANDUSKY, Ohio — Cedar Fair is moving beyond amusement parks and into esports with the opening of a new gaming facility at the Cedar Point Sports Center in Sandusky.
The new “Cedar Point Esports” space features 32 gaming stations equipped with 24-inch monitors, HyperX gaming mice, keyboards, and headsets. Gamers can play Fortnite, Valorant, League of Legends, Rocket League, Apex Legends, Counter-Strike 2, Teamfight Tactics, Hearthstone, NBA 2K, and Overwatch.
The goal is to establish a hub for gaming enthusiasts and esports athletes.
“Esports in general has grown tremendously every year,” said Matt Hirschfelt of Ohio State Esports. “Kids aren’t the only ones playing video games.”
Hirschfeld is vice president of tournament operations for the education nonprofit, which is also an esports league founded by teachers for students. He said Esports Ohio currently works with more than 500 high school esports programs.
“Many of our students are participating in sports for the first time,” Hirschfeld told 3News. “Many of these students have the opportunity to attend college and play at the collegiate level through scholarship opportunities, and may continue on from there, or at least receive a college education with scholarships that were previously unavailable to them. You can receive.”
James Elder knows a thing or two about winning scholarships by playing online games. He is the captain of Cleveland State University’s competitive esports team, which focuses on games focused on Valorant. He is pursuing a graduate degree in mechanical engineering with a small scholarship.
“What brought me to this game was loving the game and playing it,” Elder explained. “Luckily, I had people around me that supported me as well.”
Elder head coach PJ Farrell, who also serves as director of Cleveland State’s Esports program, is eager to take advantage of the new gaming center.
“I think having a facility like this really close by will help us grow and improve and help us make new connections and attract people from other states to come and compete with us,” Farrell said. he said.
CSU’s program has been around for more than a year and has 40 players. His 15 of his esports athletes earn scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $4,000 each year.
“We want to grow the program,” Ferrell said. “As the program grows, more scholarships will become available.”
Cedar Point Esports partnered with North Coast Entertainment to bring the over 1,000 square foot gaming center to life. According to a press release from Cedar Fair, North Coast Entertainment President Scott Norcross said, “Phase 1 of Cedar Point Esports is a league dedicated to coaching and supporting aspiring esports athletes and those looking for new entertainment. “We will focus on organizing camps, clinics,” he said.
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