Collegiate VR Esports has expanded to Europe and qualifiers for CVRE Season 1 begin today with teams competing in Beat Saber, a popular action rhythm game title. Students age 13 and up or alumni who have graduated within the previous three years can participate in CVRE Europe individually or on school teams.

The Collegiate VR Esports League (CVRE) began in 2018 after a group of college-age VR enthusiasts recognized the need for a league that catered to their particular needs. The North American collegiate VR esports community has continued to grow over the past few years and recently began season 4 competitions.

In the fall of 2019, plans for a European league were put into motion by Manuel Bäuerle, a 21-year-old aerospace engineering student in Stuttgart, Germany who plays VR esports professionally and has ranked among the world’s top players in games such as Phaser Lock Interactive’s Final Assault and Ubisoft’s Space Junkies. Bäuerle works with Nadine Dalecki, an active member of the VR esports community.

“Whether as a player, developer or influencer,” states Bäuerle, “I am driven by the thought that VR will once be important in everyone’s life. It can be used to learn, work and research; it’s not only made for gaming. Thus, I want to support the growth of VR as much as I can and push forward innovation and push the boundaries of VR esports.”

Bäuerle is doing more than pushing boundaries. Pioneers in the VR esports industry are exploring options, making mistakes, discovering what works, and creating opportunities. In the case of Bäuerle, he is providing students with a unique opportunity to participate in an emerging industry from the ground up.

Image credit: Sonya Haskins

Players

One unique aspect of the CVRE European league is the fact that they’re allowing participation by students who are on either side of the collegiate realm.

Any student over the age of 13 can participate so students who haven’t quite made it to university can participate alongside their secondary or high school age peers. This enables the creation of a ladder system where these younger students can participate in VR esports now and then decide if they want to pursue competitive VR esports at the collegiate level. Some of those students will actively choose to funnel into colleges that support emerging technologies such as virtual and augmented reality. If a student attends a school that doesn’t support a VR esports program, he or she can participate as an individual. Team titles such as Ready At Dawn’s Echo Arena will be added in future seasons of CVRE Europe and students must be from the same school or university.

College alumni can also participate in the league after providing proof of ex-matriculation within the previous three years. This enables those young adults to participate in an activity they can enjoy as they transition into life outside the collegiate realm.

Image credit: ESL

Participating Teams

Schools that have joined CVRE Europe for Season 1 include participants from Sweden, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Malta. They will compete for bragging rights as the first competitors in a league that will continue to grow as increasing numbers of people see the benefits of combining technology with physicality.

CVRE Europe Season 1 participants are:

Schools are encouraged to join even if they didn’t make it in time to participate in CVRE season 1 and even if their favorite game isn’t listed yet since more games will be added as additional schools join the league.

Schedule

Although registration officially ends February 23, schools can still join throughout qualifiers without it causing a handicap for the season. Players or universities should reach out to Bäuerle or Dalecki this week if they’d like to participate in the CVRE Season 1 tournament series that begins on Friday, March 6.

  • Qualifiers begin: February 23
  • Qualifiers end: March 1
  • Tournament 1: March 7
  • Tournament 2: March 27-29
  • Tournament 3: April 24-26
  • Tournament 4: May 15-17
  • Finals: June

More Information

If you’d like to join the European Collegiate VR Esports League, find more information, or watch the competition unfold, check out the following links.

VR Fitness Insider will continue to cover information about VR esports in Europe and around the world so follow VRFI on our social media links below.

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