Dragons Level Up With XP

The Ins and Outs of E-sports on Campus.

Photo | Rachel Wilson Jennifer Flores-Mendoza, Los Angeles, Calif.; Ethan Pearson, Kingman; Christyn Howard, Nickerson, play Call Of Duty: Cold War, Crimson team. They lost 3-0 on Nov. 8. Photo | Rachel Wilson Hayley Berry, Pretty Prairie; Zoe Barta, Ellsworth; Trevor Beaird, Nickerson; Beniah Yoder, Haven, play Call Of Duty: Cold War, Blue team. They won 3-0 on Nov. 8.

Photo | Rachel Wilson Colton Fast, Nickerson, does commentary on Twitch during the Call Of Duty: Cold War games. Fast also played NBA2K21, Rainbow Six Siege, as well as Rocket League during the fall season. Photos & Story | Rachel Wilson

Past the pool tables in the basement of Parker Student Union, is a dark-lit room with a crimson and blue glow. Inside you find students communicating with each other, artillery drawn, strategizing their next move in this warzone. The intense moment passes as “VICTORY” comes across the PC monitors and celebration hits. The Hutchinson Community College E-sports Blue team wins their match of Call of Duty: Cold War. This is just one of the many games HutchCC E-sports competes in weekly. This room is their arena.

“For all of our games we play in the arena,” Skylar Franklin, Burlington, Iowa, said. “Each school has their own arena or area that they play games.”

In the arena they utilize a variety of consoles and monitors for game play.

“We mostly use PCs and Switches and also Playstation 4,” Jennifer Flores-Mendoza, Los Angeles, Calif., said.

“In special conditions they can play from home, from an Xbox, Playstation or PC,” Franklin said.

How does a student join?

“For me personally, I was in contact with the coach by email,” Aidan McGillivray, Hutchinson, said. “That’s how it worked for most of

us,” Hayley Berry, Pretty Prairie, said.

But there are requirements to make the team.

“You need to have a 2.0 GPA and you have to be a full-time student,” McGillivray said. “You also have to pass the tryout.”

To try out, students played a game to determine their skill level.

“Basically when you fill out the application, you put what game you’re wanting to play,” Berry said.

Games that can be played are NBA2K21, Call Of Duty: Cold War, Super Smash Bros, Overwatch, Rainbow Six Siege as well as several others. Some are single player and some require multiple players, but all are team games.

“Always a team effort, if you plan on playing solo, you shouldn’t be part of a team,” Franklin said.

Many on the team are seasoned players.

“I’ve played my whole life,” said McGillivray.

“I’ve been playing since I was five,” Christyn Howard, Nickerson, said.

The HutchCC E-sports team is committed and this doesn’t stop at game play.

“We have practices on Wednesdays from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm for Overwatch,” Franklin said. “We have other sub practices that are more optional, but on Wednesdays you have to. Even

Photo | Rachel Wilson Berry, Barta and Beaird gaze intensely at the moniters while playing Call Of Duty: Cold War. The Blue team qualified for the NJCAA Cold War playoffs.

if you’re dying, you’re coming to that practice.”

If an athlete is sick, the team has accommodations so they can still practice and compete.

“We can also practice from home too,” Howard said. “We log into our consoles, most of our games are cross platform.”

E-sports teams have team captains, strategies and are recognized by the NJCAA.

“I play overwatch. Our strategy is to dictate or counter the meta. Which the meta in normal peoples’ tone is what everyone is doing and what is working. Like something that’s popular,” Franklin said.

Franklin is one of the HutchCC E-sports team captains.

“I play Call Of Duty: Cold War, I’m team captain and my strategy is to adapt to the other team. If they play aggressive, we play aggressive, if they play passive, we play passive, it’s overall just go with the flow,” Flores-Mendoza said.

This year, the HutchCC E-sports team has shown much potential, with many athletes qualifying for playoffs. If a student enjoys video games and want to be more involved on campus, or even make new friends, E-sports is calling. Ready Player One.