LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE OPENS LARGEST E-SPORTS LAB IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
The New State-of-the-Art Classroom is Celebrated with a Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
LBCC E-Sports Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
Long Beach, CA, Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Long Beach City College (LBCC) Board of Trustees, students, and employees officially celebrated the opening of the largest e-sports lab in Southern California with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, February 27. The $2.3 million state-of-the-art classroom features cutting-edge technology to support students interested in the rapidly growing e-sports industry.
'Long Beach City College is proud to lead the way in providing students with access to this rapidly growing multi-billion-dollar e-sports industry with well-paying jobs,' said Uduak-Joe Ntuk, LBCC Board of Trustees President. 'This cutting-edge facility is more than just a gaming lab—it's a gateway to future careers in technology, broadcasting, and game development. Our investment in this state-of-the-art space reflects our commitment to innovation, workforce development, and student success in the digital era.'
'As technology evolves, so do the opportunities for our students,' said Dr. Mike Muñoz, LBCC President. 'The new LBCC E-Sports Lab not only provides state-of-the-art equipment but also ensures our students gain hands-on experience in an emerging industry. By expanding our programs and staying ahead of industry trends, LBCC is empowering students with the skills they need to launch careers in gaming, digital media, and other technology-driven fields.'
By 2030, the e-sports industry will be worth $6 billion and careers in gaming technology are steadily increasing. Long Beach City College is proud to be at the forefront of providing students with access to this innovative field of study by building the brand-new e-sports lab. The project renovated an existing room and computer lab in Building M at LBCC's Liberal Arts Campus. The new e-sports lab includes:
47 Alienware gaming stations, with a teaching station for an instructor or coach to interact with students
Optimized lighting system to enhance player comfort and reduce visual fatigue during extended gaming sessions
An independent operational infrastructure that ensures uninterrupted network and power capabilities for seamless gaming experiences
Fully equipped casting booth that supports live professional-grade broadcasting of gaming competitions over the internet
Construction began in March 2024, completed in July 2024, and opened to students during the 2024 Fall semester. The renovations were funded by Measure LB and LBCC's capital outlay fund. Cordoba Corporation was the construction manager, and the architect was HPI Architecture.
LBCC currently offers a certificate of achievement in Digital Media: Multimedia Interaction & Game Design which provides students with the foundational skills to work in the gaming industry. LBCC also offers a variety of programs for students looking to pursue careers in robotics, computer office studies, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and more.
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About Long Beach City College
Long Beach City College consists of two campuses with an enrollment of more than 35,000 students each semester. The education program's primary purpose is to prepare students for transfer to baccalaureate-granting institutions, entry into work or career development, and to support businesses in economic development. Long Beach City College serves the cities of Avalon, Lakewood, Long Beach, and Signal Hill. Long Beach City College promotes equitable student learning and achievement, academic excellence, and workforce development by delivering high-quality educational programs and support services to our diverse communities. Visit www.LBCC.edu for more information on Long Beach City College.
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LBCC E-Sports Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
CONTACT: Stacey Toda Long Beach City College 5629384004 stoda@lbcc.edu
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Alienware 16 Area-51 HP Omen Max 16 Razer Blade 16 (2025) Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 Geekbench 6 (Higher is better) 20,498 19,822 16,025 19,175 Handbrake conversion (Lower is better) 1.58 2.54 3.12 2.18 25GB File Transfer Test (Lower is better) 23.36 19.2 15.52 40.4 25GB File Transfer Test (SSD speed) 1,149 1,395 1,730 665 Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit) 92.9 88.6 97.9 94.3 Gaming Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit, 95 comfort threshold) 118.7 105.8 125.8 116.8 With an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, the Area-51 supports an NPU with 13 peak TOPS (trillion operations per second). With that, you can access your usual Copilot software, like Windows Studio Effects, Cocreate, and Live Captions. Apart from potential performance gain, there isn't any Dell or Alienware-branded software with unique AI capabilities. Like most laptop webcams, even the Alienware 16 Area-51's 4K shooter isn't great. Despite that, the webcam handles colors decently well. 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New York Times
8 hours ago
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Much of the groundwork for any transfer is done before sporting directors at the buying clubs get fully involved, with a modern recruitment team's responsibilities stretching beyond studying potential signings and compiling reports on them. 'They watch the players, then they will draw up their shortlist for a centre-forward, for example, and present that to me,' says the sporting director. 'It will contain everything in terms of the possible cost of the deal, and they won't present a player to me if they don't know the player is interested — or at least think he might be interested. Advertisement 'So at that stage, I will know that a player is interested, what the approximate salary is going to be and probably the approximate transfer fee. Even though nothing is finalised, I would say those presentations are usually accurate to about 85 or 90 per cent.' Once sporting directors decide a deal is feasible and attractive, arrangements will usually be made to speak discreetly to the player. In most cases, the selling club will be aware of the general potential for somebody to leave due to conversations with their agent, but they are usually unaware of specific conversations between players and specific buyers. The agent adds: 'I'd say 90 per cent of the time, the player will have either a telephone conversation or face-to-face conversation with the manager (usually via video call), sporting director or both at the buying club. 'That chat will involve, 'Where do you see me playing?', 'Where do you see the club going?', all this kind of stuff, and often they are quite selfish conversations about what incentives are there for the player. Those conversations normally come weeks in advance — as soon as clubs know where they're going to be next season (in terms of which division they will play in). 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The agent says: 'Usually, we will say to any other clubs, 'The player prefers to go somewhere else, but we'll keep you updated'. Sometimes, if a club is especially reluctant to sell, players might take extreme action to try to force through a move. That may include refusing to train or play, or something less extreme.' Matheus Nunes was an example of a player staying away from training when he looked to secure a move from Wolverhampton Wanderers to Manchester City in the summer 2023 window. Players who do that risk punishment from their clubs, most likely fines, but in almost every case the benefits of getting the sought-after move far outweigh the feasible sanctions. 'I have never encouraged a player to down tools,' says the agent. 'I know some players and agents do it, but I've always thought that's too much. You have to show some respect to the club that is paying the player's wages. 'We do sometimes put in a transfer request and find a way to make that public, to apply a bit of pressure, but that is as far as I would ever go.' Once all the financial aspects are agreed, the final stage of a transfer is the medical. Contrary to common belief, these do not provide a binary 'pass-or-fail' outcome. Instead, they are a series of tests designed to inform the buying club of any medical or fitness issues that might make their investment a greater risk. Sometimes, though, the results that come back can lead to a transfer being renegotiated, or even cancelled altogether. In 2020, defender Nathan Ferguson's move from West Bromwich Albion to Crystal Palace was called off, then revived on renegotiated terms, after his medical revealed knee issues. A minor concern in these circumstances might result in the buying club seeking a reduced fee to reflect the added risk, while a bigger problem might see them pulling the plug altogether. 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8 hours ago
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