Picture this: You are in the cafeteria, staring deeply into the screen of your computer, trying to figure out an equation on your calculus homework. Through the music in your headphones you hear fragments of excited conversation from above. Then, suddenly, a loud,
“Yes!”
You go up to the fourth floor to see what is going on. You glance into the huge windows surrounding the room and find gamers with headsets and Alienware equipment surrounding them. Every system along the wall glows with neon lights and a table in the center acts as a meeting table. You have found the RCTC eSports team meets. You see the gamers talking into their mics in what appears to be a serious tone, communicating their next gaming strategy, and comradery rooted in the friendly bonds of team spirit.
eSports is a gaming team at RCTC. Gamers compete in online video games such as Overwatch, Valorant, Fortnite, Rocket League, FIFA, Hearthstone, and League of Legends. Multiple games can be chosen for the season of playing or just one game can be chosen. The eSports room above the cafeteria here at RCTC is open every weekday from 2 to 4 p.m., but there are no official practice times yet. Most games take place on Tuesday nights at 6 p.m.
eSports is run by student participants and supervised by Mass Communications faculty member Guy Hamernik. The community and camaraderie involved in the group is one of the greatest aspects of the team, according to Hamernik, who says, “Last year there was not a lot of chit chat among the players except on game night, but now they are setting stuff up on the weekends from their home computers. I came in after last weekend – there were 364 discord messages Monday morning.”
Other participants involved in eSports mentioned that one of the greatest aspects of the club is the community it provides for everyone involved. Hamernik›s leadership has played a crucial role in creating this supportive atmosphere.
Team member Nuradin Mahamed says of Hamernik, “He’s probably one of the most supportive coaches you probably would have.”
Through comradery and a good coach, the RCTC eSports team has made it to the Overwatch playoffs for the first time since the team began in the fall of 2022. This goes to show that through a good community and hard work, anything can happen.
eSports officially started in the fall of 2022, so it is relatively new to the RCTC community. Before COVID-19 happened, ideas for an eSports team had started emerging, but it was not until after COVID that these ideas started to become a reality. Mass Communications faculty member and eSports team supervisor Guy Hamernick started noticing a community built around eSports at RCTC when he returned to in-person classes on campus. He wanted to be a part of it due to being into gaming since he was a kid. He took on the role of team supervisor and has led the club to its current stage.
eSports is very easy to get involved in. All students must do is email Guy Hamernik at guy.hamernik@rctc.edu or the eSports team account at esports@rctc.edu to get information about registration as well as the club. Interested students can also stop into the eSports room any day during the week between 2 and 4 p.m. to connect with the team. It is located right above the cafeteria in the president›s room. They will add you to the esports discord server via your RCTC email. You then are added to the roster of the games of your choosing.
After interviewing several participants, it became clear to me that the esports club is a community built on friendship and teamwork.
“I think we are still kinda in the emerging stages,” says Hamernik.
Hamernick saying this means that this team will hopefully only grow in the coming years as more people hear about it and get involved.
Hamernik talks about there being a possibility to eventually give out eSports scholarships, “Who knows where this goes, if we have chances to actually give people scholarships, maybe student life would put more money behind it.”
It is a new club with lots of possibilities for the future, making it a great opportunity for many when it comes to building friendships and getting breaks from the stressors in their life. Currently the eSports team would love more participants as well as more supervisors so anyone interested should definitely pop by a practice and see for themselves what takes place there.
words and photos by Colleen McGowan