University of Suffolk unveils first look at its new Ipswich e-sports facility taking over vacant Long Street building

New images show what a state-of-the-art e-sports centre could look like when it welcomes students later this year.

The University of Suffolk is revamping a vacant building at its Ipswich waterfront campus, to the tune of £1.65 million.

Featuring 40 gaming PCs, a broadcast gallery and a studio designed for live streaming, the space, in Long Street, has been built for its brand new BA (Hons) e-sports course.

These computer-generated images show what the building will look like when its first wave of students arrive in September.

Charlie Smith, course leader, felt the new studio would be a huge draw for students, with the new course having attracted lots of interest.

It aims to provide a hands-on experience for those passionate about gaming while teaching them business and technology skills.

These include managing livestreaming events, live and online broadcasting experience, digital marketing, leadership and team dynamics.

“These skills are really important for thriving in such a fast-paced and evolving industry, and by equipping our students with as broad a range of strengths as possible, our course will give students the best experience possible of thriving in the industry,” Charlie said.

“Our learners will benefit from industry-standard technology to bolster their experience before they even graduate.”

The facilities will allow students to compete in both national and international tournaments, online matches and charity events.

E-sports, or electronic sports, are online video games that are played competitively, often in tournaments, either solo or as part of a team.

Construction work on the new centre is being completed by Concertus.