Capitalizing on the popularity of online video game competitions known as esports, Northern Illinois University is opening a 2,300-square-foot Esports Café at its Naperville campus that will be open to the public.
The move is seen as a means for students, alumni and the community to network and build the skills they need to compete in a global economy, tapping into the growing esports — or electronic sports — industry that has become so accepted that market research firm Newzoo projects the global market in 2019 will generate revenues of $1.1 billion and is on a trajectory to top $1.8 billion by 2022.
