Nerd Street opens first collegiate esports venue at Rowan University

On Thursday, Nerd Street celebrated the opening of Localhost Rowan University, its first gaming and esports venue on a college campus. Nerd Street Chief Product Officer Joel Velarde and Rowan President Ali Houshmand were on site for the ribbon cutting.

“We are excited to partner with Nerd Street and that Rowan University is its first collegiate center for their growing network of esports complexes,” Rowan President Ali Houshmand said in a statement. “Suffice to say, college students love esports, but this investment is about much more than playing games. It’s about expanding infrastructure at Rowan University to train future industry professionals, particularly in broadcasting and other communication disciplines and computer science.”

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Nerd Street’s first collegiate venue is 7,100 square feet with a capacity for 300 people and contains 50 PCs in the main floor area. The venue also includes another 10 PCs on a 5 vs. 5 stage setup. A private room for Rowan’s esports teams and for private events and bootcamps contains another 10 PCs. A console lounge contains consoles such as Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X and the Nintendo Switch. The venue will eventually include a broadcast room and a mixed-use studio too.

Rowan’s Edelman College of Communication & Creative Arts will use the venue outside of Localhost operating hours for broadcast production and courses.

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“We have an incredibly well developed esports ecosystem here,” Emily Zbyszynski, director for the Center for Esports at Rowan, said in a statement. “Our goal is to provide opportunity for anyone who wants to get involved with gaming, regardless of whether you're on the path to pro, seeking a career in the industry, or just looking to unwind after classes.”

Localhost Rowan University is the latest esports and gaming venue that Nerd Street has opened and the first located on a college campus. Nerd Street operates other gaming venues across the country, including Philadelphia, Denver, St. Louis (Missouri), Fullerton (California) and North Brunswick (New Jersey).

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The venue at Rowan University is the latest example of the company’s support for collegiate esports. In December, Localhost at Philadelphia hosted the NACE Starleague Fall Finals, which crowned champions in seven different esports in NACE’s top collegiate league. In March, Nerd Street announced a partnership with Temple University that made Localhost at Philadelphia the home of Temple’s esports teams. Nerd Street provides ongoing support for aspiring collegiate esports pros to develop their skills through Nerd Street camps.

Lead photo credit: Nerd Street