Going Beyond The Game: Evolving the City through an Esports Venue

Abstract

This thesis aims to reimagine the traditional sports arena of the future that addresses the growing culture of competitive gaming, known as esports. Globally, the esports industry continues to grow as today’s fastest entertainment market; however, there are only a limited number of venues dedicated to the esports that fulfill the requirements of esports events. This thesis embeds advanced technology with the built environment to enrich a digital experience in Tysons, Virginia. Tysons is known as an outgrowth city of Washington, DC and continues to evolve to become a 24-hour urban center for living, working, and playing. However, the city is lacking the programmatic typologies at the pedestrian scale. Bringing an esports venue, titled the Tysons Reboot, would humanize the city by introducing a new cultural hub, heighten its prospective growth of a futuristic tech city, and evolve the city as a regional and international destination city.