Tarleton Esports brings forth new meaning to sports on campus

By: Cassandra Seeley

Guest Writer

Tarleton Esports has become a well-known student organization on campus and plans to grow.

Esports is an organized competition of online video games. With traditional sports being a highlight in southern regions of the United States, esports has a difficult time becoming popular on campus. 

Tarleton Esports uses a variety of league sites to connect them with different university esports teams, their most current being NACE and GGleagues. The websites establish a tournament roster for each region of the country, and the colleges are given a schedule of when they compete, much like traditional sports.

Tarleton mostly competes with other colleges in Texas or the surrounding states. However, the League of Legends team competed against California coastal colleges this past semester. 

The Tarleton Esports teams compete for fun. They do not receive any compensation. Some colleges with more involved esports teams receive scholarships and get paid for competing and being on the team.

The club was established three years ago with only 30 students and a few officers. Today there are almost 100 active participants within the organization. Jonathan Mizzurah, president of Tarleton Esports, said he believes the club will continue to grow this semester with the new events he has planned. 

The first step is helping with Texan Move-In during the first few weeks of August and possibly recruiting some of the incoming freshmen.

While the main mission is to recruit for the multiple competitive teams for Tarleton, the organization also welcomes casual players to create a fun and friendly community. A majority of gamers coming out of high school have never been exposed to an official competitive match. The esports teams allow for a smooth transition from casual gaming to competitive teamwork.

“I want the campus to know we are here- even if you don’t play video games at all we can teach you and be a social group for you to be a part of,” Mizzurah said.

The organization hopes Tarleton will become a beacon for Texas gaming and will continue to embody the spirit of Tarleton while they do.

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