ESPN is trying to cultivate the next big esports stars out there by bringing the Collegiate Esports Championship finals to Houston this week. The competition will be between more than 100 students from 20 colleges around the country.

The students will be competing against each other in games like Overwatch and Hearthstone for scholarships.

This will actually be ESPN’s first-ever esports championship event and students have been gunning for this since February. Unfortunately, for the state it is taking place, no Texas schools made it to this week’s finals.

Nicolas Johnson, the student president of Gaming and Esports said, “Houston is a fantastic place to hold this kind of thing. We have the infrastructure already in place.”

If you are looking to attend, the doors will open 9 a.m. daily at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. Tickets are $41-$58 for single day passes, $78-$289 for a three-day pass. Children’s rates are also available.

For all the official games, Rules, and times check out the following information directly from the ESPN Events website.

The Games

Overwatch, Street Fighter V, Hearthstone, StarCraft II and Heroes of the Storm are five games that will bring in the inaugural event.

CEC: Countdown Show

As the field narrows down weekly in all of the game titles, be sure to tune into the live CEC: Countdown show each Friday beginning on March 29th. Hosts for the show on 5/3 are Alex Corea (@alexcorea) and BlackKrystel (@BlackKrystel). The show can be viewed live at 8 ET/7 CT, as well as on replay, at the following locations:

Qualifying Teams/Matchups

The championship weekend will host the following top teams in each game title:

  • Hearthstone – 4 teams
    • Georgia Institute of Technology vs. Rochester Institute of Technology
    • University of Minnesota – Twin Cities vs. University of Oregon
  • Heroes of the Storm – 2 teams
    • California State Polytechnic University – Pomona vs. Rutgers University
  • Overwatch – 8 teams
    • Maryville University vs. Carleton University
    • New Jersey Institute of Technology vs. Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
    • Grand Canyon University vs. Orange Coast College
    • Rutgers University vs. University of Utah
  • StarCraft II – 4 teams
    • University of California – Berkeley vs. University of California – San Diego
    • University of Chicago vs. University of Waterloo
  • Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition – 4 teams
    • New Jersey Institute of Technology vs. University of Nevada, Las Vegas
    • Lambton College vs. Sheridan College

Schedule

  • Friday, May 10
    • 9 AM – Doors Open
    • 10:10 AM-4 PM – Overwatch Quarterfinals
    • 4:20-7:20 PM – Hearthstone Semifinals
  • Saturday, May 11
    • 9 AM – Doors Open
    • 10:10 AM-1:20 PM – Overwatch Semifinals
    • 1:50-5 PM – StarCraft II Semifinals
    • 5:20-7 PM – Hearthstone Championship
  • Sunday, May 12
    • 9 AM – Doors Open
    • 10:10-11:50 AM – Overwatch Finals 
    • 12:20-2 PM – Heroes of the Storm Finals
    • 2:20-4:50 PM – StarCraft II Finals
    • 5:20-6:20 PM – Street Fighter V Finals

About The Author

John D
Chief Operating Officer

John Donadio a.k.a. SomeBeardy2Love is the COO here at GAW. He once had a show that he produced, wrote, and co-hosted called the Wide World of Games, you can probably find it on youtube. He is also a co-host on a podcast called Party Up! John is an Action-Adventurer, platformer, RPGer, and FPS kind of gamer. Quick to play any game that has magic, swordplay, and/or stealthy elements. If you can customize a character he is in it for the long haul or just give me your 2D platform and he's a happy camper. What else do you expect from a gamer with a beard and a bow tie tattoo? Seriously.