Honam University Launches eSports Team 'Suribueong-i'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Gwan-woo] Honam University announced on the 24th that it will establish an e-sports team named ‘Suri Bu-ong-i’ (Eagle Owls) at 11 a.m. on the 26th in the Integrated News Center on the 3rd floor of IT Square.

Last year, Honam University was the only four-year university in Korea to establish a Department of E-sports Industry.

This time, it aims to be the first university in Korea to establish an e-sports team.

Honam University plans to establish an amateur team essential for creating a virtuous ecosystem for the e-sports industry in the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions and to actively participate in representative games such as League of Legends (LoL) and Battlegrounds.

The team name ‘Suri Bu-ong-i’ was inspired by the eagle owl, known as the ‘king of the night,’ which is a second-class endangered wild animal and Natural Monument No. 324, residing near the Honam University campus on Eodeungsan Mountain. The name was selected through a team name contest involving students.

The Suri Bu-ong-i team plans to participate in various amateur competitions nationwide starting this year and engage in diverse activities to promote the growth of the Gwangju e-sports industry by utilizing professional knowledge.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic last year, the Department of E-sports Industry at Honam University strengthened its internal capabilities by hosting various competitions such as the Gwangsan District Mayor’s Cup e-sports tournament, Honam U-League, and High School Championship.

The Suri Bu-ong-i team intends not only to participate in competitions but also to improve the negative image of gaming caused by WHO’s classification of gaming addiction, promote positive uses and effects of games such as educational cases using gamification, and support the elderly in dementia prevention through gaming.

Additionally, with the industrial growth of e-sports, the team plans to operate e-sports camps for youth focusing on emerging related careers (e-sports management, e-sports broadcasting, etc.) and collaborate with local game developers to build an e-sports game testing platform.

Above all, by actively hosting amateur competitions to revitalize the local e-sports permanent stadium and create added value, Honam University aims to enhance Gwangju’s city brand as the ‘center of e-sports.’

This amateur team plans to sequentially hold events such as a Korea-China exchange match with a Chinese team next month, international exchange matches involving universities from Asian countries, high school championships, and workplace club competitions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.