St. Clair College Esports and Alienware made history Thursday by marking the grand opening of Canada's first Alienware Gaming Lab in the Esports Nexus Arena at St. Clair College.
Supported by Alienware, Dell Technologies' top gaming brand, the addition of the Gaming Lab creates an opportunity for St. Clair College and the Student Representative Council to increase the number of gaming PCs from 70 to 110 units throughout the Nexus facilities.
This growth means the addition of 48 free-play PCs to increase novice gamer interest and St. Clair students at large, as well as 62 units specifically to enhance competitive gaming play for varsity and academy players. The upgraded units featured in the space are Alienware Aurora R16 Gaming Desktops, powered by Intel i9 and Alienware 25" Gaming Monitors, along with upgrades to peripherals (headsets, keyboards, mice, etc.).
The new partnership also includes a visual upgrade to the Gaming Lab, featuring a custom Windsor skyline themed mural installation, branded neon backlit signage, and an Alienware kiosk for patrons to explore products and to connect with the Alienware community.
The Nexus facility has been operational since fall of 2022 - but these equipment upgrades were a necessary addition to unlock further potential for varsity teams to remain competitive and increase the quality of teams, broadcasts and recruitment to the varsity and academic programs.
"We started with such a small facility, and we got a lot out of it. This is going to allow us to take it to the next level, said Shaun Byrne, Esports Director at St. Clair College.
"President France, before she retired in June, asked us what we needed to stay out front as the top program in Canada. New PCs was our answer. We're extremely grateful for her commitment and to our partners at Alienware for buying into our vision and giving our players the tools they need to succeed as an elite collegiate esports program," said Byrne.
"This facility is really the icing on the cake. This is what students are looking for," Byrne said. "Times are changing. We've got amazing athletics facilities here and now to pair with that, we've got amazing esports facilities and I think that's going to make the difference in terms of attracting new students to the area, to St. Clair College."
"We're going to give our players the machines that the pros play on now here at St. Clair. They can practice with us and a lot of them have ambitions of going pro and we think we've got the facilities in place now to do that, he said."
St. Clair College President Emeritus, Patti France and current College President, Michael Silvaggi see the potential of esports at St. Clair College and earmarked the funds needed to upgrade these units to ensure there is a future full of growth for the program.
"Since its unveiling a couple of years ago, the Nexus Esports Arena and the associated gaming labs have become the hub of relaxation, socializing and activity during between-class breaks," observed St. Clair President Michael Silvaggi. "The opportunity to improve and expand the amenities this summer, in partnership with Dell Technologies and Alienware, was ideally timed. It meant that students would have an enhanced campus experience from the outset of this academic year."
"Esports gaming technology at St. Clair College is more than just enhancing the skills of our competitive gamers; it's about igniting a passion for innovation and discovery. The collaboration between us will not only elevate our players but also nurture the next wave of innovators, engineers, and researchers that St. Clair College is renowned for cultivating," acknowledged Pam Pelletier, President and General Manager, Dell Technologies Canada.
The grand re-opening event would not have been complete without including professional gamers. Team Liquid was on site, featuring former Starcraft pro-player and Overwatch content creator, Fitzyhere, to interact with students and talk about his journey from pro to the content creation side of esports, as well as play Overwatch to engage the student population.
Alienware also hosted numerous raffles and giveaways, including a laptop and other peripherals to increase student engagement and celebrate the launch of the new space.
The St. Clair Student Representative Council developed and oversees operation of the Saints Varsity esports program, along with the Nexus Esports Arena.
For more information about the St. Clair Saints esports program, visit www.saintsgaming.ca.
The Saints varsity esports program, representing St. Clair College in Windsor, Ont., was the first of its kind in Canada, founded in 2017. Saints varsity esports athletes earn scholarships to compete in leagues against colleges and universities across the world. St. Clair's varsity esports teams compete across 15 titles, including League of Legends, Overwatch, VALORANT, Fortnite, Rocket League, Call of Duty, and Rainbow Six: Siege. The varsity program consists of more than 150 student esports athletes, marketing and social media staff, broadcasters and more, many of whom move from across the world to compete and study at St. Clair College.
The Esports Nexus at St. Clair College's Main South Campus in Windsor, Ont. is one of the largest publicly accessible facilities of its kind in Canada, at over 15,000 square feet. The Nexus features 110 Alienware PCs, a 5v5 competition stage, esports classroom with broadcast studio and latest industry equipment, five separate soundproof streaming rooms, VR and Sim Racing spaces and eight console stations, including Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.
