The Rise of Uni eSports

In the past few decades, video-gaming has turned into a billion-dollar competition scene. “eSports” is the term for the culmination of games that can be played competitively. Every day across the world, players compete online for prizes among thousands of games. For example, Dota 2, a popular team-based video-game, awarded 42.1 million dollars in competition earnings alone in 2018. 

This year, Uni’s eSports club joined the wave.

The club spreads across games like League of Legends, Rocket-League, Overwatch, and Super Smash Bros. Some members travel monthly to Chicago to play in an in-person  League of Legends tournament. Many of Uni’s members participated in eSports in the past, but it was only in November that the seniors would propose the club to student council.

While many games have eSports, a majority of players don’t participate in them. Geoffrey Ding, one of the founders of the club, explained how he was introduced to eSports; “companies announce eSports competitions, so I’ve always been aware that they had a competitive scene. I started playing League (League of Legends) in freshmen year, [and] eSports was really at its peak in League”. Today, Geoffrey maintains his League play, as part of the group that travels to Chicago.

On another note, Raven, a professional apparel company, reached out to the club and had custom jerseys made. The jerseys hold the distinct orange and blue theme, with the design of a gargoyle.

Uni’s eSports club is perfect for those who have any interest in video games. During meetings, members talk about the eSports world, play games, and even have guest speakers. Uni eSports club meets every Wednesday during Uni Period in the WAC Lab.