Texas is home to some of the biggest, most extravagant sports venues in the country, from AT&T Stadium in Arlington to the AlamoDome in San Antonio to Houston's NRG Stadium. But now the Lone Star State is about to host the nation's largest E-sports stadium. The city of Arlington, which already hosts the Cowboys and Rangers, is building a $10 million, 1,000-seat state-of-the-art venue for E-sports---team video game competitions. E-sports are becoming a huge industry, even catching the attention of the International Olympic Committee.
The 100,000 square-foot stadium in Arlington is set to open later this year. It will include a large staging area for the competitors, along with plenty of lounge areas with food, drinks, amenities and individual gaming stations. The architecture firm Populous is helping design the stadium. "Every great sport essentially has a cathedral, whether it's Wrigley (Field) or Centre Court at Wimbledon," says Brian Mirakian with Populous in an interview with SportTechie. "We believe that for E-sports to ultimately take its next step as a sport, purpose-built venues are a big part of that equation."
As Texas continues to host events like the Super Bowl and Final Four, the state will now have a venue to host the biggest events in video game competition, as well. "When you look at E-sport venues during championship events, it's like the Super Bowl...I mean it's incredible," says Mirakian. "People want to be together for those moments, so I personally see (E-sports stadiums) as a real driver moving forward that really supports and augments the online presence."