Ball State University Partners with Gen.G Global Academy

Ball State University has partnered with Gen.G Global Academy—a high-caliber international esports organization with competitive teams in South Korea, China, and the US.

This partnership expands Ball State’s global influence and role as an innovator in the emerging industry of esports, while offering unique opportunities for student-athletes within Ball State’s esports program in the University’s College of Communication, Information, and Media (CCIM), and for Gen.G’s student-athletes.

“We are excited about this burgeoning partnership and what it can mean for Ball State, CCIM, and Gen.G. Gen.G has a presence as one of the most visible multi-national corporations in esports—and Ball State has an innovative, well-established program with a state-of-the-art esports center to facilitate academic and competitive experiences,” Dr. Paaige Turner, CCIM dean, said.

One key aspect of this partnership is the establishment of a pathway for Gen.G’s esports student-athletes to apply for admission to CCIM’s esports program, which offers academic and esports competition opportunities available at Ball State. The University is working with Gen.G on creating multiple pathways for the high school-age students. To date, seven student-athletes from the Gen.G Elite Esports Academy (GEEA), Gen.G’s international school program, have been accepted to Ball State for the Fall 2022 semester.

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Ball State’s esports student-athletes benefit from this partnership by having opportunities to learn, work, and compete alongside Gen.G student-athletes who have extensive international exposure in esports. Also noteworthy are Gen.G’s major initiatives, including #TeamBumble, a team platform for the empowerment of women in gaming.

“We not only help students learn about the esports industry, we teach them how it came about, what are the real jobs in esports, and how to work together in order to move the industry forward,” Joseph Baek, Gen.G’s executive director of education initiatives, said.