Ranked #1 in Maine – a Future eSports Star Web Director | October 24, 2018

When Ryan Hemenway ’18, M.B.A. ’19 first began playing video games as a young kid, it was just for fun.  

Now, he actively seeks out competition to better himself and hone his skills.   

And his hard work has paid off, as Ryan is ranked #1 in Maine, #3 in New England and 160th nationally for Fortnite, a globally popular video game, which has almost 50 million players worldwide.   

Ryan is very proud of his rankings. He takes the game very seriously and even streams his gaming online on YouTube 

This Thomas graduate student shows that video gaming isn’t always just a past time, it is a sport. It teaches players team work, strategy, competitiveness, and hard work.  

Ryan, understandably, was very excited to hear Thomas College is launching a varsity eSports program this spring. eSports is organized, competitive video gaming, and it’s a billion-dollar industry that saw 40 % growth last year.  

Thomas College will have a varsity eSports team, complete with uniforms, a coach, designated practice times in a space with ten state-of-the-art Alienware Area-51 Threadripper computers, gaming monitors, wireless gaming headsets, gaming mice, gaming keyboards, and students will be competing in regional and state tournaments.   

“I hope to make my college proud when I represent Thomas in the tournaments next semester,” said Ryan.  

“eSports is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, and being a part of it – however big or small – is a great opportunity and a lot of fun,” said Ryan.  

Visit thomas.edu/esports for more information about Thomas College’s varsity eSports program. 

You can check out the #1 Maine ranked Fortnite player and Thomas student, Ryan Hemenway, by following him on twitter @Hurricane_Mane or subscribing to his YouTube channel at  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC04gfxpd6dKwTPCMtKDF5wg?.