Yesterday we officially opened the new AP Gaming Hub, the first of its kind in the beautiful city of Antwerp. To think this all started already over two years ago with two students with the weird names Spider (Olivier Bocklandt) and Ehz (Wesley van der Kraan) asking us to find a way to give esports students a more official place at AP University of Applied Sciences & Arts.
And so my partner in crime Laura Herrewijn and I, we got busy! We’re both gamers, we research games, we pretty much live for games. A cry for help of a gamer could not be ignored!
First up, we helped the students get an online community up and running, recruiting gaming IT students to join our Discord server (oddly enough not all IT students game. Who are you, people!). But soon, students from across the AP galaxy would find their new home.
Next? Hosting the Belgian Student League finals. What better place than our campus which is pretty much the center of the universe, amirite? (Disclaimer: I’m not actually from Antwerp but out of fear of being rejected I fully endorse the idea that everything outside of Antwerp is considered a parking lot). And yes, our Rocket League won <3.
We’re not done yet. What about… an AP Minecraft server? And a little event with free Red Bull! Yes, free energy drinks still attract students like a moth to a flame. Genius! (I need to start handing these out in class.) Our new server (set up by Stijn Voeten) even hosts a virtual copy of our campus, created by our very own Ymke Schoofs. A campus within a campus. Inception at its finest (we are still trying to figure out if we can keep students better engaged in our classes if they lose all sense of reality).
Meanwhile a new project was slowly taking shape: a place for the gaming student to call their own. A little piece of gaming heaven where they can get together with old friends and meet new,… to hang, play, practice, and compete. A far fetched dream quickly became reality thanks to AP’s understanding of how important gaming can be at so many levels: problem solving, communication, teamwork, creative thinking, .. (Did you know Warcraft raid leading used to be considered a positive skill for applying to management roles?)
So we got together with our colleagues at AP’s Student Center, managed to land a budget, and the ball got rolling. Today, not only do we have a beautiful and cosy gaming space with 5 high-end PCs, a Playstation 5 and Switch 2, and the ability to broadcast games, but we also have an official student gaming community who will be taking care of the hub! (Laura and I can finally take a little break)
And now? It’s time to game I guess. But not just the students. We will be organising more lecturer VS student events, a couple of in-house tournaments, and more! (Free energy drinks are also welcome, sponsors, contact me;))
To end this long post, I believe a shout out is in order.
First of all of course, Laura Herrewijn, my favorite colleague and researcher. We pwnd this 😀 It took a ton of extra time next to our dailies (excuse my game speech), we’re pretty exhausted, but satisfied. Let’s not do a project like this again any time soon. Still, it was so worth it 😉
Robin and Io, you both jumped in and lightened the load <3.
Of course, everyone who supported us, gave us the extra time, budget, and made things happen in the upper circles Yves, Kelly, Veerle, Wim, Gert, Annick.
A big thanks of course to our principal Pascale De Groote for her support and the inspiring speech at our opening (and at the Game UX Summit!).
Davy and Gary, you guys helped sell the idea and so much more.
Let’s not forget the most important people: our students, whose enthusiasm convinced us we were on the right track, and who supported us all the way.
Little side note: this post was not written in your typical LinkedIn business style. Or soulless ChatGPT style. I thought, let’s make it a little “more human than human”. To keep quoting movies: “why so serious!”
GG all
