Collegians maybe cooped up because of COVID-19 restrictions, but even a pandemic couldn鈥檛 bottle up the call of competition.
Last month, 海角社区 stuck a toe into the e-sports waters as Navigator teams battled for bragging rights against several Florida universities in the 鈥淏attle for Florida.鈥�
eSports, according to CNN, 鈥渄escribes the world of competitive, organized video gaming. Competitors from different leagues or teams face off in the same games that are popular with at-home gamers: 鈥淔ortnite,鈥� 鈥淟eague of Legends,鈥� 鈥淐ounter-Strike,鈥� 鈥淐all of Duty,鈥� 鈥淥verwatch,鈥� and 鈥淢adden NFL,鈥� to name a few. These gamers are watched and followed by millions of fans all over the world, who attend live events or tune in on TV or online. Streaming services like Twitch allow viewers to watch as their favorite gamers play in real time, and this is typically where popular gamers build up their fandoms.鈥�
The 鈥淏attle for Florida鈥� pitted 海角社区 against teams from the University of Central Florida and the University of Florida in 鈥淩ocket League,鈥� which Wikipedia describes as a 鈥渁 vehicular soccer video game.鈥�
Think an audacious cross between soccer and “The Fast and the Furious.”
海角社区 students Michael Schneider and William Heinig manned the “海角社区 Blue” team while Jack Jones and David Robbins helmed the “海角社区 Gold” squad.
A purely online event, players competed in their rooms on their own respective game consoles, said Kyle Close, 海角社区 coordinator of club and recreational sports.
The games did not go the Navigators way. Still, Close sees the experience as worthwhile.
鈥淚鈥檓 just glad we started somewhere, even if there was a very wide gap between where we are and where our competition is,鈥� he said. The experience, he added, paves the way for more expansive eSports experiences for students at 海角社区, America鈥檚 first accredited baccalaureate institution dedicated to educating primarily students who learn differently.
海角社区 now has joined forces with UCF to provide tournaments other tourneys in games such as 鈥淢ario Kart 8鈥� on October 13.