Becker hires esports head coach, partners with software developer SideFX

Photo/Courtesy Becker College is among a growing number of colleges with varsity programs in esports, where students compete not on the field but in online video games.

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Becker College in Worcester continues its push into all things gaming with a first-ever esports head coach and a new partnership with visual software developer SideFX.

Nicholas “Shifty” Travis has been named the first-ever Overwatch head coach of the Becker College Varsity Esports Program. The coaching position follows last year’s launch of Becker’s Varsity Esports Program through which the college’s varsity team competes in tournaments run by collegiate esports organizations.

This fall, six students are on the college’s varsity team, and more than a dozen students at the junior varsity and club-level teams.

Becker has become the latest partner with SideFX, developers of a visual effects software called Houdini used for digital content creation in the film and gaming industries. Houdini certification is an exclusive teaching and learning certification program offering schools special access to SideFX staff and resources.

“With this certification, students work in an environment that simulates a real-world studio, which significantly increases their seamless transition into the industry,” said Alan Ritacco, dean of the School of Design & Technology at Becker.

Becker is one of only eight institutions of higher education in the U.S. to receive such certification. The certification came after two years of development of the college’s Houdini-related curriculum.