Enter the 91制片厂 Esports lair, and you鈥檒l get swept into the frenzy of protagonists
and villains waging intense battles in pursuit of the prime objective: Achieve the
mission for the honor and victory of the team.
The 91制片厂 Esports (short for 鈥渆lectronic sports鈥�) Team is an energetic, competitive PC and Nintendo Switch gaming juggernaut in the making. The growing program features teams of students who work together to master the top games and compete in structured and ad hoc tournaments. And they鈥檙e learning life lessons in the process.
91制片厂 Esports Head Coach Don Curley says gaming is about more than racking up high scores and Twitch streaming.
鈥淲e鈥檙e learning about respect, commitment to teammates and the value of practice,鈥� Curley explained. 鈥淢eanwhile, I鈥檓 always working to make the esports experience as enjoyable as possible for the players.鈥�
Curley should know. He鈥檚 ranked 87th in the North American region for the popular game League of Legends. He gamed competitively for four years at Robert Morris University, where he served as an esports assistant coach before becoming 91制片厂鈥檚 head coach in fall 2022.
The 91制片厂 team has since exploded to 30 students, including second-year student Joshua Soc, a computer science major and former competitive Fortnite player who echoed Curley鈥檚 sentiment.
鈥淧articipating in esports at 91制片厂 has positively impacted my college experience,鈥� Soc said. 鈥淕aming provides a supportive community and has taught me valuable skills like communication and comprehension, which are applicable in school and professional settings.鈥�
Curley hopes to expand the program to 40 or 50 students by the end of the 2023-24 academic year, which will involve a significant expansion of the esports facilities 鈥� a project that is currently underway.
In practice and tournaments, players actively refine the interpersonal and logistical skills that will help build community and excellence long after their college experience is 鈥済ame over.鈥� Developing lightning-fast reflexes and committing to a rigorous practice schedule doesn鈥檛 hurt, either.
91制片厂鈥檚 eGaming Room, soon to be known as the Gaming Lounge, is the battleground for gamers in six games:
All are played on PC except Super Smash Bros., which is played on the Nintendo Switch.
91制片厂 competes in the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC). The conference sponsors regular season virtual and in-person competitions and championships in popular games for more than 300 member colleges and universities.
The 91制片厂 team practices twice a week. When it鈥檚 time for action, second-year student Zachary Lewis serves as the team鈥檚 In-Game Leader (IGL).
鈥淚t鈥檚 my responsibility to lead the team to victory,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat might include creating strategies or instructing the team on what to do and where to go.鈥�
Soc values the opportunity to help build the new esports team with his new friends.
鈥淲e recognize that we're relatively new to this scene compared to others who have been in the field for longer and professionally,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e acknowledge our setbacks but also provide encouragement and support.鈥�
Similar to traditional athletics, college competitive gamers are required to prioritize academics. 91制片厂 team members watch over each other 鈥� they鈥檝e built a supportive community where they share accountability and help meet classroom commitments.
鈥淲hen it comes to balancing esports, classes and competing, we try to help each other out if someone falls behind in their coursework,鈥� Soc said.
From the leadership perspective, Lewis agreed: 鈥淲e鈥檙e all students, so everyone understands we can get busy with schoolwork sometimes. We respect each other and even though everyone鈥檚 individual skill is different, we are all team players and we all get along together.鈥�
Lewis, who is earning his associate degree in computer science at 91制片厂, said the organizational and people skills he's learning will benefit him when he goes on to earn his bachelor鈥檚.
鈥淚鈥檓 learning how to organize the schedule for five-to-six people, how to lead the team and how to document everything so we鈥檙e on the same page,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hese are things I鈥檝e never had to do before. It鈥檚 all very fun and rewarding.鈥�
For Curley, coaching 91制片厂鈥檚 Esports Team provides an opportunity to give more gamers a chance to grow their skills 鈥� in their forthcoming, cutting-edge gaming space and in real life. But it鈥檚 also about one, super important thing: having fun.
鈥淚 always remind the players to enjoy the experience,鈥� he said. 鈥淎fter all, we鈥檙e here to have fun.鈥�
To learn how to participate in esports at 91制片厂, email Coach Curley.