(Right to Left) CSUDH President Parham, eSports President Alexandra Warren-Carrasco, and eSports General Manager Ruben Caputo highlight the new team jerseys despite delays in the construction of the eSports lab. Photo by Val Contreras

By  Val Contreras, Staff Writer

The northwest corner of the library is the location of the new CSUDH eSports lab, but if you visit it today, you will see clear plastic tarp and construction tape with an opening date still to be determined. As the Bulletin reported earlier this year, the lab is estimated to cost around $750,000. The lab, ridden with delays due to the pandemic, was scheduled to be finished this past summer, however students currently do not have access to it.

Recently, the CSUDH eSports department unveiled their new jerseys in the Sculpture Garden on campus to a crowd of staff, students, and community members. Jerseys are a necessary aspect of any sports team along with training facilities, but the question still remains: when can students begin to use it?

According to CSUDH eSports General Manager & Academic Advisor Ruben Caputo, the lab will open “hopefully…early next year, possibly spring…if we had to give it a parameter.” 

Caputo said the COVID-19 pandemic is the cause of delays in construction and disruptions in the procurement of supplies essential for the lab’s completion. However, the vision and goals for the tech-heavy operation are limitless.

The lab’s objective is to provide a multidisciplinary curriculum where students majoring in all fields have a place to connect, learn, socialize, and compete in the world of technology–not just play games. According to Caputo  when the lab opens and is running it is intended to be a place for research, academia, community engagement, and more

CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham echoed the importance of the eSports program at the jersey unveiling event, “If we can create an opportunity through gaming, for our students to learn to code, there’s a transferable asset…to get them through courses and get them in the workforce after they graduate.”
The lab will welcome all members of the CSUDH community, whether you’re an “n00b” (tech slang for a novice) or a seasoned expert. While the physical construction may not be finished, Caputo said they will be revealing the digital render of the lab at CSUDH’s New Building Grand Openings on Oct. 15th.