The UK Royal Navy, as part of a partnership with the British Esports Federation, has constructed a first-of-its-kind “esports suite” onboard an active Navy warship. The HMS Prince of Wales’esports officecontains eight Alienware PCs loaded to the teeth withRTX 4080s, a console gaming station, and enough LEDs to make a college dorm room blush.
The UK’s Royal Navy has recognized esports as a “military sport” since March 2024, encouraging involvement in it for both seamen and civilians. While many other active warships have included room for console gaming on Xboxes, Playstations, and Nintendo Switches, the Prince of Wales is the first UK warship to include PC gaming setups onboard at this scale.
The suite’s red versus blue color scheme and layout facilitate team-based gaming sessions on local games, includingHalo,Team Fortress 2, andCounter-Strike. Online multiplayer is not an option when the ship is at sea, meaning LAN parties on the high seas are common. Leaders onboard reserve the suite for official use for their teams around three times a week, according to Miller.
“We’re thrilled to partner with the Royal Navy and the Ministry of Defence for this,” said Chester King, President of British Esports. “Gaming is becoming increasingly important to the military, as it offers many benefits such as fostering communication, leadership and strategic skills, and allows personnel to strengthen bonds, unwind and maintain positive mental health.”
The HMS Prince of Wales also includes other perks for its crewmen, like inflatable swimming pools, a golf simulator, and karaoke. The Royal Navy has been actively recruiting young people through video games for years, specifically seeking out talented FPS players for enlistment. This and other perks are significant components of the military’s recruitment drive as global tensions escalate and major Western militaries seek recruits.
In a modern day where gamers are met with disappointments like the massive flop of the newMindsEye gameand majoranti-consumer moves from Nintendo, it sometimes makes one wish for a return to the days of LAN parties onHaloandTF2. And for the low price of enlistment in the UK Navy, now those days can come back.
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Sunny Grimm is a contributing writer for Tom’s Hardware. He has been building and breaking computers since 2017, serving as the resident youngster at Tom’s. From APUs to RGB, Sunny has a handle on all the latest tech news.
