Army West Point Esports Team Powers Up with Extron

 Extron gear powers the West Point Army Esports team. .
Extron gear powers the West Point Army Esports team. .

Extron is helping the Army West Point Esports upgrade its facility in preparation for their 2024 competitive season. Extron equipment powers the gaming experience, including the AV needed to simplify system operation and management, flexible switching and distribution, ultra-low latency streaming, gameplay annotation, and high-quality, impactful audio systems.

"Whenever possible the United States Military Academy strives to provide superior learning experiences for cadets as they work to develop to become leaders of character and to commission as Second Lieutenants for the United States Army," said Victor Castro, director of Army West Point Esports. "Working together with Extron places over 80 cadets into a technologically advanced training environment where they can see first-hand the applications of these capabilities while also empowering their passion for competitive gaming, Extron's AV capabilities take Army West Point Esports to the next level of collegiate competitive competition. That alone is a powerful statement as the world of collegiate esports is on the rise and poised to be a dynamic foundation for the future of esports."

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The school’s esports program—located in the same facility as West Point’s simulation training, the Computer Assisted Virtual Environment—shares many of the same goals all cadets have: to strengthen the development of the winning spirit, fight for excellence, to accomplish the mission, and win. The Extron upgrade hopes to enhance that cadet experience through interactions with competitive gaming.

Extron gear powers the West Point Army Esports team.
Extron gear powers the West Point Army Esports team.

Extron AV systems power many esports programs, elevating both participant gameplay and audience experiences. At the West Point facility, Extron enables the seamless integration of all sources into a versatile centralized hub, providing a variety of options for their use throughout the facility. For instance, Extron technology allows the signals from player POV cameras and gaming computers to be presented as a single video signal which feeds the video streaming and recording program.

"We are enthusiastic to provide AV for the Army West Point Esports Competition and Training Center," said Casey Hall, chief marketing officer for Extron. "In addition to enhancing gameplay experiences for participants and audiences within the physical space, Extron AV is integral to how each source is represented on social media and live streaming broadcasts."

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Army West Point Esports is a cadet-led competitive program that offers experiences in small unit team management, communications, strategy, critical thinking, building resilience and the demonstration of a strong winning spirit. Cadets value experience. Exposure to capabilities such as those demonstrated with this Extron AV integration, shows cadets what doing a job right looks like. As they progress in their military careers, they will become sought-after problem solvers. Each cadet esports player will now have real world experience through the esports program on the roles of professional AV in a large application like this and how well-implemented AV design can pay off. This knowledge and experience can work at the highest levels of command cells and training facilities, such as Mission Training Centers.