Esports is becoming popular worldwide and has been mentioned as something that could possibly appear at the Olympics.
Esports are video games played competitively. Esports on the biggest stages have significant monetary earnings if you win against all of your competitors.
”It typically surrounds game titles that have a high skill ceiling as a barrier to entry. Essentially, games that typically aren’t just pick up and play but require deeper learning to play at a competitive level,” said Tyler Oelling, Weber State University’s eSports Coordinator.
According to Oelling, it started as a student-run club. The students wanted additional support, so they hired an individual to run the program. Luckily enough, that was Tyler. He was hired around four years ago and has established a scholarship budget. He also does the recruiting for players to join the team.
The games that they compete in and receive scholarships for are “League of Legends,” “Rocket League” and “Valorant.” But they also play other games, including “Super Smash Bros,” “Marvel Rivals,” “Rainbow Six Siege,” “Counter Strike 2” and “Overwatch 2.” In all of these games, a team will compete against other people worldwide to show who is the best of the best.
The team even consists of three players who have competed on the professional stage in the “League of Legends” championships, the most-watched esports event in the world.
“My pitch to those interested in participating would be: Weber eSports is the best school in Utah for esports development. Whether it be as a player or professional role,” Oelling said.
Oelling also stated that the coaching is free, so students can learn from the game they want from the pros themselves. The competitions are based on skill level, so students won’t be way out of their comfort zone.
“At a minimum there is always something for you to do,” Oelling said. “Even just hanging out in our Discord and playing games casually with our 1,167 person community.”
There is something for everyone who enjoys gaming within the gaming community. From playing competitively to casually playing games, the Weber eSports welcomes all.
”My goal with Weber eSports is to continue to grow our resources to facilitate a better learning experience for all students. We have taken players on campus and coached them up to playing at near professional levels,” Oelling said. “My ultimate goal is to grow Weber E-sports into the best E-sports program in the country.”
For those interested in joining the eSports team, students will need to join the Discord and message in the channel which game they want to try out for.
