Georgia State University’s varsity esports program will hold the fifth semi-annual collegiate PantherLAN Esports Tournament March 28-29 at the University Club of Georgia State Stadium, 755 Hank Aaron Dr. SE, marking the first time the tournament will span more than one day.

The event is co-sponsored by the Georgia Game Developers Association and the National Association of Collegiate Esports. The event is free and open to the public.

In-person competition will start at 10 a.m. each day, with doors opening at 9 a.m. Preliminary rounds and semifinals will take place on March 28 and finals on March 29. Competition will be streamed through the university’s Twitch channels at www.twitch.tv/georgiastateu and www.twitch.tv/georgiastateu2. More information, including competition registration and exhibition information, is at http://esports.gsu.edu.

Games will include “League of Legends,” “SMITE,” “Paladins,” “Overwatch,” “Hearthstone,” “Brawlhalla,” “Dragon Ball FighterZ” and “Tekken 7.”

Besides game play between college and university teams, the PantherLAN tournament will feature esports workshops, tabletop gaming and an expo with student groups, companies and organizations from around the Atlanta area.

For the first time, the event will also include participation by Georgia State’s Digital Learners to Leaders (DLL) program. DLL is a program that provides students from all backgrounds, including those often underrepresented in the technology industry, opportunities to increase their technical and professional experience.

At PantherLAN, DLL will host a cross-institution conference highlighting student-led digital research and development. DLL’s conference workshops will welcome digital creators interested in networking and expanding their skills to learn from experts on topics such as esports production, implementation of artificial and virtual intelligence, motion capture for virtual reality and tactics for career management. The conference will also showcase digital projects developed by students.

Established in 2017, the national championship-winning Georgia State varsity esports team participates with other Georgia academic institutions in the Georgia Esports League and is among the more than 100 colleges and universities nationwide participating in the National Association of Collegiate Esports.

Varsity esports provide benefits beyond game play, including student participation in broadcasting, production, marketing, management and game development, a rapidly growing part of Georgia’s entertainment industry.

Varsity team members at Georgia State are eligible to earn scholarships and are expected to maintain high scholastic performance.