Augustana esports steps up its game with biometrics

A new partnership and state-of-the-art biometric technology are expected to boost the Augustana College Vikings esports team’s physical and mental performance.

Curia, a biometric technology solutions company, and FITGMR, an esports performance and player development company, have partnered with Augustana to monitor and analyze the physical and mental performance of Vikings esports players during training and competition. 

The biometric technology will allow coaches and trainers to develop more effective training and performance-enhancing strategies for the team. 

First-year student Gabe Foster, a psychology and international business major from Columbia, Mo., said he expects the new technology to have a big impact.

“Utilizing the new biometric station will help me improve my awareness and comprehension of my gameplay by seeing how well I focus on objectives and track the performance of myself and others,” said Foster.

The esports team first partnered with FITGMR in August for a health and wellness program, including use of an app that measured performance and resources designed to meet the mental and physical demands of gamers and esports athletes. 

According to Augustana’s Director of esports Joe Loomis, “Utilizing biometric data in partnership with the FITGMR training program will allow our cognitive athletes to achieve peak performance via tangible and actionable real-world metrics.”

Loomis said understanding how athletes’ bodies and minds react in real-time during gameplay allows the coaching staff to see a clear visualization of each athlete's biometric profile and create individualized training programs. The data will also be used to develop team practice strategies.

Alex Milenkovic, CEO of Curia, said he was thrilled to partner with Augustana to improve the team’s performance. 

“Together, we can help push the boundaries of what is possible in esports athlete development,” he said. 

The Vikings esports team just wrapped its inaugural varsity season, claiming two championship-level conference wins. Additionally, John “Mr. Clean” Bolton, a sophomore business administration-management major, was a runner-up in the national Eastern College Athletics Conference NBA2K tournament.