Columbia College became the latest school to offer scholarship programs for League of Legends players earlier this week. While the Missouri college joins a small list of schools that have made headlines with video game scholarships, even more universities have explored the idea of starting up varsity esports programs behind the scenes, according to Riot Games’ Media Relations Manager Bob Colayco. So a dedicated League of Legends team could be coming to a college campus near you very soon.Multiple colleges have approached Riot looking to add esports scholarships, Calyco told the Daily Dot. Still, “it doesn’t always happen” that these interested schools start a program, he said. Riot also isn’t actively soliciting colleges to start up programs. “It’s more of a ‘for your information’ type of situation and not an area where licensing or permission is sought, at this time.”Columbia College is looking for two teams and two alternate players, as well as a part-time coach who will be tasked with finding talented individuals in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas for a Fall 2016 start.“

Esports aren’t the future,” Columbia College President Scott Dalrymple said in a statement. True skill at video gaming is just as impressive—and just as legitimate—as excellence in traditional sports.”The college's League of Legends players will receive a partial scholarship and need to be enrolled full-time as well as maintain a 2.0 GPA to keep their scholarship, Columbia College’s Director of Esports Bryan Curtis told the Daily Dot. All players will be expected to attend daily practices.guy fawkes hoodiesThe teams will compete in two of the biggest collegiate esports leagues in the United States and Canada, the Collegiate Starleague and Riot Games’ North American Collegiate Championship. wvu hoodieThe NACC had 540 teams competing from more than 300 colleges in the U.S. and Canada in 2014. hieroglyphics hoodies

As a part of its esports initiative Columbia College is also turning a soccer locker room building into its esports home base—complete with Xbox’s and PS4’s for students, staff and faculty to use.Last year, Robert Morris University in Chicago became the first college to add esports to its athletic program, announcing it would offer partial scholarships to League players. The University of Pikeville in Kentucky also opened up 20 scholarship spots for League of Legends players this fall. arian foster hoodieMaryville University in St. Louis, and Southwestern University also recently launched esports scholarship programs, according to Colayco.Photo via Manchester University Maths/Flickr (CC BY 2.0) | shop bán quần áo exo tphcmRemix by Jason Reed | hoodie plural

H/T KOMU-TV Photo via Riot Games/FlickrLeague of Legends team Cloud9 will no longer compete at Intel Extreme Masters' World Championship in Katowice, Poland later this month.Cloud9 received an invitation to this year's tournament after placing within the top 8 at the 2016 World Championship. Citing uncertainty about current immigration regulations in the United States, the team has decided to drop out of the tournament. Sixty percent of Cloud9's League of Legends staff are foreigners, using visas to work in the United States, a press release from IEM said—with three out of five starting roster players from outside the states.patriots hoodie established 1960The team has shown dominance in the North American League Championship Series, handily taking the top spot in the standings with a 6-0 record. Cloud9 was likely to see good results at IEM Katowice, but the stakes of being denied re-entry into the U.S. are simply too high.U.S. President Donald Trump issued a 90-day travel ban on Jan. 27, barring citizens of Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen from entering the country.

A 120-day ban is in place for all refugees, with an indefinite halt on Syrian refugees. Despite being repeatedly blocked by federal courts, confusion regarding the ban has traveling immigrants wary.Fear regarding immigration and travel are not unfounded. "Although we would have loved to see them live, we understand their reasons and wish them the best of luck in the NA LCS," an IEM representative said in a statement.Cloud9 will use this time to continue focusing on their LCS domination, securing their spot at the top this season. A replacement League team for IEM Katowice will be announced "in the coming days." The tournament is being held from Feb. 25 to 26.Image via Riot GamesThe Blood Moon rises over Summoner’s Rift. The ground of the Rift is tainted red with blood. Spirits and demons rise throughout the jungle. Oh, and Jhin finally gets a new skin.In the past, Blood Moon was merely a line of champion skins that was released yearly. This year, Riot has turned it into a huge event with much more than just skins.

The Blood Moon event comes to League of Legends this year with a ton of awesome new features, like a new game mode, a themed Summoner’s Rift, and a healthy dose of angst. “To the Cult of the Blood Moon, the sign is clear. The heavens call for brutal sacrifice, and the cultists will take the night to slaughter anyone foolish enough to be caught beneath the looming orb,” reads the official Blood Moon website.If you want more details on the event before you dive in, so you can be prepared to make sacrifices to the Blood Moon like a pro, we’ve got you covered.New game mode: The Hunt of the Blood MoonThe new mode is set on a creepy version of Summoner's Rift, with players forced to sacrifice spirits, demons, and each other to appease the Blood Moon. For more details, be sure to check out our guide.Oh, and you can only play assassins and high-damage dealing divers. The game mode will be available for play this weekend and next weekend (Feb. 10 to 14 and again Feb. 17 to 21).All defensive items have been disabled, leaving only offensive items to promote maximum bloodshed.

New Blood Moon skins for Jhin, Diana, Twisted Fate, and TalonEach of the new skins comes with its own story, to really drive home the whole “murder cult” theme. You can find details about the skins, their stories, and skin bundles for sale on the official Blood Moon page.Blood Moon Jhin“The Blood Calligrapher’s masterpieces are as beautiful as they are horrific. For him, each victim represents a new inkwell, and his canvas will be as broad as that ink will allow. The sanguine marks on the ground signify the Cult’s power and deepen the artist’s connection to the spirit world.”Blood Moon Diana“The moon shines most vividly as the Blood Priestess approaches. Scarlet rays from the night sky beam down on her victims, and the lunar assassin is never far behind. Her ritual slaughter is done swiftly, her arcing blade glinting in the dark moonlight.”Blood Moon Twisted Fate“Few agree on the true nature of the Trickster Demon, who deals death from his deck of afflictions. Whether he is a demon from the spirit world or a mortal in a mask, quiet whispers spread conflicting rumors of his whereabouts.