Esports has garnered acceptance in the professional sports arena worldwide. Global gaming fame ratcheted up seriously in the 2000s with the rise of college esports teams, and online gaming tournaments. On a scale that is closer to home, SV’s own esports team is attempting to enter the ring on May 1.

      The esports club, founded by chemistry teacher William Gay, better known as Mr. Will, and senior Aidan Arnold during the 2019-2020 school year, hopes to enter the Ball State University Esport Cardinal Open in the coming weeks. 

     “Ball State was at the tournament we played in last year, so they had my email address and they sent me the invite for [the competition]. We’re thinking we’re going to compete, but we’re not sure yet. If we do, we’ll send the people that practice all the time and do a lot of training on their own time,” Will said.

     As of now, the team plays Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, MarioKart, and Rocket League though they want to have teams for Overwatch and League of Legends. 

     Players break out into smaller groups to focus their gameplay on one to two areas for competition. This means that not everyone will go to every tournament based on their subgrouping. Currently, sophomore Leah Pasternak, senior Chris Doucette and a possible third are expected to represent SV in the competition.

     “I feel like being in a tournament will be a great experience for all of us. It would help us bond as a team. I feel like we’re ready; we’ve known each other for a while and we’ve gotten closer as a team so I think we’re ready,” Arnold said.

     Practice is somewhat difficult for the team as the club is still getting off the ground, but most participants practice on their own time. Online gaming applications make it easier for players to work in small groups with teammates from home.

     “I play a lot of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and for practice, I usually play with my friends and just have fun or one-on-one with them,” Pasternak said.

     As a fledgling club, funding is an issue. They only have one year under their belts, and it was a shortened one, so fundraising has been limited.

     “The problem is that we don’t have a dedicated space to be in or the computers we need. We need six computers that are dedicated to us, but we don’t have that. We were going to fundraise this year, but with Covid, everything pretty much got backed up to possibly doing it next year,” Will said.

     Despite these setbacks, the team has prepared for higher stakes tournaments and are hoping that entering the May 1 competition will give them much needed momentum.

     “[A win now] would be a stepping stone for future events, and even if we don’t win, we’re gaining experience and that’s kinda the whole thing behind gaming. You want to gain experience, see what it’s like and that’ll help you improve,” Arnold said.

     One concern for the team regarding the tournament is Covid-19 restrictions. With gameplay happening online rather than in person for the competition, getting everyone together and scheduling the team members properly will need to be addressed.

     “We can’t really have them be in person, and it’s an all day affair. Sometimes some people don’t budget the amount of time they’ll need to be there. They think ‘Oh, I’ll just be there an hour.’ No. You’re there all day, so you have to make sure you budget your time to be there,” Will said.

     Even in the face of these possible issues, the team awaits more competitive gameplay with high anticipation. The local esports scene is growing from mostly individuals to now being introduced in schools county-wide, and SV’s team sees this as an opportunity.

     “[Winning the upcoming tournament] would show that we’re a good team and that we can work together and strategize. I’m also excited to get to go out and play against other schools like Cuthbertson and CATA,” Pasternak said.