About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ATHENS — Concord University esports will host a Dead by Daylight tournament on Oct. 30 in an effort to bring students and members of the surrounding community together for a Halloween-themed competition.
Nathan Lockhart, assistant director of Concord esports, said the program began planning the tournament over the summer as a way to celebrate Halloween while giving people another reason to visit campus.
"We figured, what would be a better way to celebrate Halloween on a weekday than having a game about horror?" Lockhart said.
Dead by Daylight is a multiplayer horror game in which four players act as survivors while another takes on the role of the killer. The survivors attempt to escape while the killer tries to eliminate them.
Lockhart said several members of Concord's esports program already play the game regularly, which makes it a natural choice for the event.
He stressed that the tournament is not limited to members of the esports program or even Concord students.
"It's really open for people outside of campus," Lockhart said.
He said some members of the program are bringing students from local high schools to participate as well.
Prize information for the tournament is still being finalized and is expected to be announced Friday, the day of the event.
Bruce Richmond, who has extensive experience playing Dead by Daylight, is looking forward to watching the tournament and may provide commentary during the event.
"I am pretty excited for it," Richmond said. "Dead by Daylight has been a really big game for a long time."
Richmond said his biggest concern is how much interest the tournament will draw from campus.
"The only worry I have is engagement from campus," he said.
Richmond said he has played the game extensively and believes his experience could help him explain the action to those watching the competition.
For Lockhart, bringing people onto campus is one of the larger benefits of events like this.
He said high school students often have few reasons to visit a college campus outside of a scheduled tour or sporting event, and esports offers another opportunity to introduce them to Concord.
"They can see how beautiful this campus is," Lockhart said. "They can take a tour through our facilities."
That community outreach has become an important part of Concord esports.
Lockhart said the program also participates in events outside of competitive gaming, including work with food banks and a recent fall festival at Athens Elementary School.
"The community is a really big part of our program," he said. "Without the community, we wouldn't be here."
Concord's esports program has grown substantially since its beginning in 2019.
Lockhart said Concord was the first public university in West Virginia to establish an esports program.
At the time, the program fielded teams in Overwatch, League of Legends and Call of Duty and had roughly 12 to 15 players.
Today, Lockhart said the program has around 70 participants and hopes to reach approximately 100 by the fall 2027 semester.
The program now competes in a wide range of titles, including Rocket League, Marvel Rivals, Apex Legends, Fortnite, Madden College Football and others.
Lockhart has watched nearly all of that growth firsthand.
A Princeton native, he came to Concord as a freshman and joined the esports program during its first year after a friend told him about a flyer advertising tryouts. He tried out for Overwatch and later earned a place on the team.
Now, after graduating from Concord with a degree in history, he serves as the program's full-time assistant director.
"I've seen people come and go. I've seen people graduate," Lockhart said. "I've seen people come in throughout the world, from different countries, come to Concord for our esports program."
The program's flagship Rocket League team now includes three international players from the United Kingdom and Ireland who have competed at the professional level.
Concord recently finished second among 16 teams in a Collegiate Rocket League championship, losing to Northwood University in the final.
Despite that success, Lockhart said esports still carries a stigma among people unfamiliar with competitive gaming. He frequently encounters people surprised that students can receive scholarships to compete in video games.
Lockhart, who originally planned to become a history teacher, said that has given him another opportunity to teach.
"The opportunities, the networking, the community around it — a lot of people just don't see that," he said.
He said part of his job is helping people understand what esports are and what it can offer students.
"One of our mission statements is to say that esports is for everyone," Lockhart said.
Concord esports will also host a Valorant tournament the following weekend featuring college and high school teams. The event is being held in partnership with PlayVS and the West Virginia Army National Guard and will include teams from multiple levels of competition.
Lockhart said the larger goal behind both events is simple — bring people together, introduce them to esports and, whenever possible, introduce them to Concord.
Source: Sports
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