The Simpson College Esports team recently competed in the Midwest Esports Conference Championship tournament. Although they didn’t win the competition, they came away with one important award: the Unified Award.
The award is given to the team who is the most professional and positive in the tournament.
Esports player Junior Bodhi Mains said in an email that winning the award is very important to the team.
“I think that it is well deserved and a testament to all of the hard work put in by the team, the work-study workers, and especially Coach Hubert and Seth,” he said.“I think, if anything, the award shows everyone that what we’re all doing is not going unnoticed and that we have a strong program that is moving in a positive direction.”
Esports teams can compete in many different video games. Mains said currently, the Simpson team focuses on a select few: “Valorant”, “Rocket League”, “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” and “League of Legends”.
“It’s a really big honor. I think that it is cool knowing that our community and our program meant a lot to MEC,” Esports player Junior Emma Van Aernam said. “It is very welcoming, and it’s a great environment. We get really into it a lot with each other. It’s funny to sit back and listen to our communication throughout the game because it is really dumb most of the time.”
The Esports team is made up of five varsity players and seven junior varsity players. Next year, they are looking to make it six and six with one substitute for each squad.
Esports Head Coach, Hubert Whan Tong, said the team is looking to add curriculum to their playing. “One of the major things that we have been working on for a while is involving business management or event management with a focus in Esports,” he said. “It is something that we are really trying to do here and helping out a lot of programs nationally to help write curriculum for that. It is something that we are very knowledgeable about and hope it will catch fire here at Simpson soon.”
It’s important to note that Bodhi believes joining the world of competitive gaming will change your perspective as you begin to compete and work to improve your craft. “It can be stressful, but that is also what makes it fun. It makes gaming more competitive than it ever will be for you, but you will get better at the game much faster and will get better than you probably ever would on your own,” he said.
He emphasized that Esports is not a substitute for simply gaming in your room, and it should be taken as seriously as any other sport. “Don’t do Esports if your only goal is to play games,” he said. “Join Esports if you think you are good enough to compete with some of the best, or want to be one of the best.”
“If you want to get involved in Esports/Competitive Gaming, there are definitely some things to be aware of. The biggest one I can think of would be to just be aware that your perception on gaming will change. It is an E “sport” meaning that you look at the game you’re playing very analytically and are constantly watching and judging your performance to do better every time. It can be stressful, but that is also what makes it fun. It makes gaming more competitive then it ever will be for you, but you will get better at the game much faster and will get better than you probably ever would on your own.”
