CMU ESPORTS
14 | LIFE @ CMU
CENTRAL MICHIGAN LIFE y ORIENTATION 2020
GAMERS FIND THEIR WAY TO PLAY Photos by Adam Sparkes University Communications
By Austin Chastain Sports Editor news@cm-life.com
Playing video games has been a hobby of plenty of college students since the first video game, Pong, was released in 1970. At Central Michigan University, there is an opportunity to take that hobby and share it with fellow gamers and make friends, all at the same time. CMU has an eSports club and has advanced to the varsity level in two games — League of Legends and Overwatch. The club also offers several other games including Rocket League, Counterstrike and Rainbow Six Siege. Katherine Ranzenberger is the head coach and adviser of the program. She also works as a marketing and communication writer for the university’s communication department. “Esports is competitive video games,” Ranzenberger said. “It is along the same lines as every other sport on campus. It is teaching teambuilding skills and problem-solving skills, just on a computer instead of on a field or court.” Building the skills necessary for success is one of the main goals of the program. As the head coach and adviser, Ranzenberger said she views her role as helping her team members gain the professional skills they need for life after CMU. “At the end of the day, I want these students to be successful,” Ranzenberger said. “I want them to have the opportunity to play this game at the varsity
level, then graduate and have a fulfilling career. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these students and I’m excited to continue working with them.” Ranzenberger graduated from CMU with a journalism degree in 2015 and earned a Master’s of Science and Administration in 2019. One of the students Ranzenberger leads is Alek Smith, a senior from Macomb. Smith said he heard of the team his freshman year from a poster on campus and he has seen a lot of change in his two years with the program. “I didn’t know many people until I went to ‘league club’,” Smith said. “When I went there, that’s where I found some of my great friends and one of my roommates.” An aspect of the team Smith said he enjoys the most is everyone pushes to improve. He added it feels like typical sports with the atmosphere, drive to be one of the best teams and the experiencing the highs and lows of winning and losing. “I enjoy most about the team is the commitment to learn and better ourselves with understanding we’re all not perfect,” Smith said. “We all manage to play well together and better ourselves with each game we play.” At CMU, there are two teams at the varsity level, Maroon and Gold. The Gold team is considered the first-string team while the Maroon is considered the secondstring. Ranzenberger said the rosters are set a week in advance but can change around based on communication and team dynamics.
Skill level, or “rank” in the gaming world, varies from game to game and team to team. Ranzenberger said the players on the Gold team are at Gold or Diamond for League of Legends. The Maroon team ranks anywhere from Iron to Platinum. While the NCAA governs other varsity sports – football, basketball among others – the National Association of Collegiate eSports (NACE) governs esports. NACE, along with the game’s developers, determine how the game is played in competition. Riot Games is the developer for League of Legends and runs collegiate League of Legends. Tespa oversees the Overwatch competitions. CMU competes in the eSports Collegiate Conference. In the eSports Collegiate Conference, all 12 schools that make up the Mid-American Conference in other varsity sports compete against one another. Smith said the nature of the program not only allows students to connect with new people on campus, but they also have the chance to connect with people at other schools in the conference. “It gives players the opportunity to play against other schools, compete in tournaments, and build relationships with students and staff,” Smith said. “It’s a great experience to have and (I) hope all colleges/schools implement this.” Before practice, players go over a video review of their previous games to see what they did well and what the need to improve on, much like in football or basketball. “We’re always looking at where we can
