Bio

Elizabeth Layton is in her first year as as the director of esports at Olivet College.

Prior to joining the Olivet staff, Layton was the esports advisor and coordinator at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana since 2019. The Esports program is run entirely on donations, which Layton has helped raise nearly $200,000 for it. She is responsible for all aspects of the program. That includes researching and networking with other esports organizations, supervising students, planning practice and game schedules, coaching the team at competitions, and recruiting students. Layton was the first female esports coordinator in the state of Louisiana and believed to also be first female Director of Esports in the state of Michigan.

Layton earned a bachelor’s degree in history from University of Montevallo (Ala.) in 2014 and master’s degree in library and information studies from the University of Alabama in 2016. At Nichols State, she also serves as the Access Services Librarian.

The Olivet College esports program will be housed in the Block House, a restaurant under renovation adjacent to the Cutler Athletic Complex. Business partners Anthony Collamati and Nicholas Lux have leased the former Lamplighter restaurant from the college, located at 714 South Main Street, to create the Block House. They are working to transform the space into a community gathering area, complete with a restaurant, bar, entertainment and a high-level esports space.

A fast-growing, billion-dollar industry, esports describes the world of competitive, organized, multiplayer online video gaming. Competitors from different leagues or teams face off in the same games that are popular with at-home gamers. At the highest levels, these gamers are watched and followed by millions of fans all over the world, who attend live events or tune in on TV or online, often via streaming services such as Twitch.

While esports is not recognized by the NCAA as an official sport, Olivet will offer talent scholarships to prospective students to compete in the sport as it does for its other non-NCAA sports. This scholarship along with other financial aid awards will provide an outstanding opportunity for esports athletes to receive a higher education at an affordable rate.