CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — The world of gaming has a new arena and its college campuses. One Champaign High School senior is going to college on a full-ride scholarship for his skills.

Sam Good started gaming around 12 years old, but he was no stranger to competitive sports. Good played soccer, swam, and ran cross country, but he found his groove when he had a controller in his hands. The hours he spent in front of the screen were never a concern for his parents.

They encouraged it.

“Sam has always set goals for himself and he was achieving those goals. So, it didn’t surprise me when he got the scholarship, because he had been benchmarking all along,” said Keith Good.

When he qualified for a rocket league tournament Good started to set his sights even higher. His dedication earned him a national ranking. And now his accolades are sending him to Illinois State University.

“Once I heard about it, it was something that I knew I wanted in my future. It’s kind of was just something to look forward to, something to strive for,” said Sam Good.

Good says he’s looking forward to competing throughout his college career and on the professional level.

The U of I E-sports President says he’s happy to see the new concept grow with smaller schools, but he would like to see it happen more and on a larger scale.

“To see kind of the growth behind it, it really shows you that it’s not just here for a small, short period of time it’s actually here to continue to grow and become more and more valuable, especially at a collegiate level itself,” said AJ Turner, E-sports President.

The U of I is hosting its first e-sports collegiate event later this month. The Illini Esports Collegiate Invitational will be held from March 31- April 2.