From the left, Wyatt Hoyt (‘19) and Worthy Fleming (‘19) watch Colin Rogers (‘19) play a round of ‘Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege.’ Team members work together to either capture or protect various sites on a combat map in the game. This past year, ASMSA officially sponsored esports teams for two high school esports leagues, one of which used ‘Rainbow Six Siege’ as its official league game.
Joining the Esports Ranks
ASMSA team tops inaugural season in high school gaming leagues with trip to national tournament 6
Students playing video games in their rooms aren’t a new phenomenon at ASMSA. There’s been plenty a game of “Super Smash Brothers” played on ancient consoles in the student lounges. The games can bring lots of opportunities to release the daily pressure of classes and build community among peers. At one time, the game “League of Legends” was listed as ASMSA’s official “sport” on WikiPedia. If only the contributor knew somehow that would become true in the future. In the past year, a group of students had a more — dare we say — legitimate reason to gather in front of their computers in their rooms. ASMSA joined the official world of esports, competing in two different competitive high school leagues. For those not familiar with esports,
the term is short for electronic sports. Esports leagues provide platforms for gamers to compete against each other. In the case of the leagues in which ASMSA participates, matches are held online. Tournaments can be held in a central location, but even then gamers are logged onto individual computers, using headsets and microphones to communicate with each other during the game. ASMSA plays in the High School Esports League and the PlayVS league. Both leagues gave ASMSA teams the chance to play against other high schools. PlayVS has an Arkansas high school league that falls under the supervision of the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA), the body that oversees traditional athletics and other extracurricular activities in high
