School of Game Development

Esports

Our esports program is built on four pillars:

  1. Academics – GPA and degree progress come first; schedules and support are structured around coursework.
  2. Community – Inclusive, positive culture with open play, events, and cross-major engagement.
  3. Competition – Structured practice, NACE compliance, on-campus matches, and performance standards.
  4. Careers – Hands-on experience in broadcast, production, content, ops, and leadership to build real portfolios and pathways into the industry.

Arena/Lounge

The Knight Arcade is your on-campus spot to play, connect, and compete.

Whether you’re hopping into a casual match, practicing with your team, or watching a varsity showdown, it all happens here. Right in the middle of the city—180 New Montgomery. Open to all students, staff, and faculty. Drop-in to meet other gamers, try out top titles, or get hands-on with production. However you play, this is your space.

Hours: Mon–Sat [12:00–8:00 pm], Sun [12:00-5:00pm]
Location: 180 New Montgomery St., 7th Floor, Room 707

Consoles & Equipment

We have current-gen consoles, fully equipped professional production/broadcast studio, team comms headsets, and lounge seating.

Equipment Specs: “Alienware Aurora R13”
CPU: 12th Gen Intel Core i7 12700K
GPU: NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080 10GB GDDR6X
Memory: 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5 4400 MHz
Storage: 2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe SSD
Monitors: Alienware 25″ 360 Hz

Esports Teams

    Esports team practicing game for competition

    Competition Schedule – Fall 2025

    Fall Regular Season: September 8th – October 23rd
    Fall Playoffs: November 3rd – November 17th
    Fall Online Finals: November 22nd – 23rd
    Match Days: Weeknights and select weekends; all official matches played on campus
    Broadcast: Twitch.tv/ArtUEsports (live with student casters & production)

    Varsity Competition Schedule Consoles and Equipment Esports Program Academy of Art University San Francisco

    Varsity Titles – Fall 2025

    Valorant
    League of Legends
    Overwatch 2

    young woman downloading game off of STEAM

    Competitive Communities/Clubs

    Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
    Marvel Rivals
    Minecraft

    Valorant

    The Valorant team at the Academy of Art University thrives on precision, communication, and tactical depth. Competing at the collegiate level, players coordinate utility, map control, and executes to outplay opponents, relying on disciplined team play and clutch decision-making in every round.

    Overwatch Esports Team Academy of Art University San Francisco

    Overwatch

    The Overwatch team at the Academy of Art University thrives on strategy and hero synergy. Competing at the collegiate level, players work together to execute coordinated attacks and defenses, utilizing the unique abilities of each hero to outsmart opponents and secure objectives.

    League of Legends

    The League of Legends team at the Academy of Art University focuses on strategic macro play, objective control, and coordinated team fights. Student-athletes work together to manage lanes, vision, and rotations, turning individual strengths into cohesive strategies that dominate the Rift at the collegiate level.

    Rocket League Esports Team Academy of Art University San Francisco

    Rocket League

    The Rocket League team at the Academy of Art University combines the precision of sports with the speed of vehicular combat. Players must master aerial maneuvers and ball control to score goals, competing in fast-paced matches that demand exceptional teamwork and mechanical skill.

    Esports Production Studio Course

    Behind every great esports match is a crew making it happen. In this studio course, students take the lead on live broadcasts for ArtU tournaments—learning how to manage cameras, mix audio, build graphics, and run the show in real time. You’ll rotate through production roles like shoutcaster, event manager, and technical director, building a team and shipping content you can showcase. No experience needed. Just curiosity, collaboration, and a drive to learn.

    Building Esports Experiences Course

    Games bring people together—but great events make them stay. This course explores what it takes to design meaningful multiplayer experiences. You’ll play, study, and break down free-to-play games, then plan events that connect players and communities. Along the way, you’ll sharpen skills in collaboration, critical thinking, and storytelling. Whether you’re into game design, marketing, or community building, this is your first move.

    Esports Events

    Partners & Sponsors

    WaveClear: WaveClear is the official performance analytics partner of ArtU Esports, supporting our League of Legends program with AI-driven coaching tools that help players improve focus, decision-making, and consistency in match play. Built on real-time performance and mindset tracking, WaveClear’s technology aligns with our pillars of Academics, Competition, and Careers by turning game data into meaningful training insights, and by powering collaborative research between their development team and Academy of Art University on player performance and mental readiness in esports.

    Follow Esports on Social