ASTON — The brand-new technology lab at Neumann University is currently the lair of the campus esports team, but it won’t be all fun and games for long.

The university plans to use the lab as a launching pad for a new major in video game production.

Located in the School of Business, the new lab includes rows of 24 Alienware computers, large screens that can display any of the desktop visuals, and an eSports logo that fills an entire wall.

According to Derek Bosworth, head coach of the club, the new lab is “pretty awesome.” Each computer, he says, “has all of the hardware we could possibly need to play any game that’s out there.”

Neumann’s esports gamers compete against teams from other colleges across the country in classic games like Overwatch 2, Rocket League and Super Smash Bros.

The 10-person club plays in two leagues, the National Association of Collegiate eSports and the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference. Its schedule runs from late September to mid-November and includes matches with Temple, Cornell, Long Island University, Boise State and the University of Kentucky.

“We actually started streaming matches, too,” notes Bosworth. “You can find Neumann esports on Twitch TV.”

Business Dean Eric Wellington, however, has much bigger plans for the new technology lab. This year, he’s conducting a search for a faculty member to teach video game production and plans to offer a major in the field by the fall of 2024.

“We’re eager to launch…