Fans of esports and gamers in the Philadelphia region have a lot to look forward to. Many local colleges in the area have recently joined the National Association of Collegiate Esports Starleague, reports Taylor Allen for Axios.

Among the colleges that joined the Starleague last fall are Temple, Drexel, St Joseph’s, and the University of Pennsylvania. The league itself was created by Philly’s Nerd Street Gamers and CSL Esports in July.

The new Philly teams are drawing quite a bit of fanfare with a variety of achievements and investments into physical spaces.

For example, Drexel became the number one collegiate team last month playing “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” and Saint Joseph’s launched their own esports lab in 2020 for its team.

Nerd Street itself provides access to in-person training facilities for teams and a competition space.

Interest in esports grew exponentially during the pandemic following professional sports cancellations. During 2022, it’s expected to see more than 29 million monthly viewers, and as a result, many colleges across the U.S. have been launching their own teams.

“What we’re seeing now is the cresting of the wave, and that was fueled by technology, opportunity, and the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Daniel Funk, Chair of Temple’s Department of Sport and Recreation Management.

Read more about the expansion of esports in Philadelphia at Axios.

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