DePaul's new eSports Gaming Center opens Saturday with the beginning round of this year's BIG EAST eSports Invitational. (DePaul University/Russell Dorn)
The inaugural BIG EAST eSports Invitational kicks off this weekend at DePaul's new eSports Gaming Center on the Loop Campus. A pair of Blue Demon teams will play fellow BIG EAST foes in two online games, League of Legends and Rocket League, in the hopes of advancing to next weekend's "final four" championship matches.
Short for electronic sports, eSports are a form of competition using video games. Most commonly, eSports take the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions and involve genres such as real-time strategy, fighting and multiplayer online battle arena.
The League of Legends matches begin at 11 a.m. Saturday and continue Sunday morning. Rocket League contests also get underway at 11 a.m. Saturday and will be completed during the day. Matches can last anywhere from 20 minutes to more than an hour.
League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena game with five players per team. Rocket League combines soccer with driving in another multiplayer game with three players per team.
The DePaul community as well as the public are invited to attend and checkout the action.
League of Legends match schedule
Saturday, April 7
Providence vs. DePaul - 11 a.m.
Butler vs. DePaul - 2 p.m.
Villanova vs. DePaul - 5 p.m.
Sunday, April 8
Seton Hall vs. DePaul - 11 a.m.
Marquette vs. DePaul - 2 p.m.
Rocket League match schedule
Saturday, April 7
Seton Hall vs. DePaul - 11 a.m.
Providence vs. DePaul - 11:30 a.m.
Butler vs. DePaul - Noon
Xavier vs. DePaul - 12:30 p.m.
Marquette vs. DePaul - 1 p.m.
BIG EAST Esports Invitational
April 7-8
11 a.m. both days
DePaul Esports Gaming Center
Loop Campus DePaul Center, concourse level
Open to the DePaul community and the public.