Leaders at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point recognize that a robust esports program is valuable for teaching cadets how to become skilled tacticians, make decisions under pressure, and work as a team. Cadets compete from a futuristic esports facility within the West Point Simulation Center. Extron AV signal processing, switching, distribution, control, and audio technology enable seamless integration of gameplay AV content into a versatile hub that sends content throughout the venue and over the Internet with clarity and ultra-low latency.
“The United States Military Academy strives to provide superior learning experiences for cadets as they develop into leaders of character who qualify to become Army Second Lieutenants,” says Victor Castro, Director Army West Point Esports. “All of the cadets currently competing on our esports teams participated in the design and construction of the esports facility AV. Collaborating with Extron on the project immersed them in a technologically advanced training environment. The hands-on experience gave them a deeper understanding of the hardware and software that makes esports possible, empowering their passion for competitive gaming.”
Central components of the esports AV system are housed in a Production Booth rack. A 16×16 DXP PLUS 4K/60 matrix switcher routes AV sources to the room’s many displays. An MGP 641 xi displays up to four source windows on a single screen. An SMP 352 streams gaming action to West Point’s esports Twitch® channel and other online platforms. A 200-watt XPA 2001 provides powerful sound through SM 26T surface mount speakers. Game audio, as well as shoutcaster play-by-play commentary are mixed and processed by a DMP 128 Plus audio DSP processor. AV system control is provided by an IPCP Pro 360Q xi control processor. AV system control user interfaces include 10″ and 17” TouchLink Pro touchpanels, as well wireless control from a roving tablet running Extron Control app software. Through West Point’s esports program, cadets who participate as players and as production team personnel acquire real world experience designing, building, and operating professional AV systems. Knowledge gained through this experience can be transferred to the highest levels of command cells and training facilities when cadets graduate as commissioned officers that the U.S. Army relies on to be leaders, problem-solvers, mission planners, and decision makers.
