Esports Member | Photo by Christian Peters | The Wright State Guardian
From a club where friends spent time playing games together, to 11 competitive teams across six games, Wright State University’s (WSU) Collegiate eSports Club has exploded in growth since 2016.
The growth of eSports
During the past five years, the club has gotten its own space in Millett Hall, fifteen computer systems and play-ready monitors while demand was at an all-time high, and won Student Organization of the Year.
According to Ryan Slater, former president of the eSports Club, all the hours put into this project have fully paid off due to the efforts of WSU, sponsors and the hard work of its members.
“This is a collaboration of a lot of people over a lot of time. I can’t thank just one person for this... It’s just a little bit of help from everywhere that made a big difference,” Slater said.
A player’s perspective
Many clubs struggled to retain members and engagement through last year, but eSports was able to grow through playing games online and even began their competitive teams during the pandemic.
“eSports was able to be played online, and a lot of clubs can’t outreach in an online setting … for us, there was a constant flow of, ‘We are doing something, there is something going on’,” Slater said.
One of the new teams, Overwatch Gold, had its first scrimmage against Bowling Green State University on Sept. 21.
After their scrimmage was over, members of the team expressed that they continue to improve not for themselves, but for the benefit of their team.
“Now that I am on the Overwatch team, my main reason for coming back is to continue to get better for myself and my team,” Gilbert “Darksnpx” Garcia, a Tank player for the team, said. “My main goal is to get to masters rank this year, and to continue working with and creating bonds with my current team.”
The team’s communication and attitude have not come from years playing together or being the best of friends, rather, they have come from something much more simple.
“It’s just people playing a game that they like to play. The Overwatch team just met,” Autore said. “There were two or three people that knew each other, but they’ve been playing for three weeks, and that’s where they’re at now.”
This connection is what helps the club thrive and continue to grow.
“I have had more fun on this team than I have ever had in other clubs I’ve been in, and it’s only been a few weeks together. I can’t wait to see what connections we grow,” Cal “Calster” Kahoun, another Tank player for the team, said.
The door is always open
For WSU students who just want to meet new people and play some games, the club has a bunch of casual players too. Whether students are looking for a place to have fun, or want to be a competitor for their expanding roster of games and teams, signups are never cut off.
“Signups are always open. Just get in the Discord, fill out the sheet, sign up on Engage, and you’re good to go,” Autore said.
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/smmV38d
Engage: https://wright.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/esports
