ESports! They Play the Games
By Crystal Best
In a true attempt of Crystal tries her Best, I tried playing esports. I was allowed to play with the varsity Overwatch team.
Overwatch 2 is a popular multiplayer, that is a first person shooting (FPS) game. You pick a character and go into the game playing with four other people and go against another group of five.
(Picture taken from Xbox Wire.com) This is the picture pf most of the main characters of Overwatch.
When I played, I took the place of their Tank. Tank is basically a very buff character with extra health and charges in or takes the brunt of most attacks from the other team while also protecting his own team with a shield. There are other positions that you can play like support (a healer) or a damage (a fighter).
Before I was put into the match they taught me how to move and how to fight plus to defend myself and the team. Basic movements were with the keyboard which was awkward to me considering when I do play video games, it’s mostly off of a controller.
To move you had to click A (to move left), W (to move forward), S (to move back), D (to move right), and use the mouse to see around. To fight, you click shift to charge and hold shift to bring up the shield. You click E to swing or punch the opponent. Then eventually your ability or superpower will charge up, you click Q to activate it.
(Picture taken by Milly Deyoe) A kid-focused on an Overwatch match.
I messed around in the practice arena to get used to moving around and also to talk a little to the group, though I was shy about it. I mostly stayed silent even when they told me talking was fine. When I finally got into the match, I had the player who I was taking the place of and one of the coaches to help me out.
The others instantly charged and I was told the goal of this match was to help move the robot and to defend it. The robot will only move if you're nearby the robot and the opposing team is trying to stop the robot from moving at all. If the team doesn’t get it to the otherside of the map and into the enemies territory by the end of the match, that team loses.
I did decent in the beginning, I followed another player and he showed me how to even get near the match. I charged a guy and tried my best to not misclick in my direction, and then I charged him again to kill him. The coach and the player I was taking the place of, congratulated me and even said I was better than most who first played Overwatch, which I took with lots of appreciation in.
Though, after that, I constantly kept dying or getting lost on the map a bit that my competitive side of me was starting to get agitated at my lack of talent. I even nearly cussed in the mic, but held it back. In the end, we lost, but I still did better than I thought.
It shocked me how much they didn’t yell at each other or at me, especially when I wasn’t doing great. I’m used to getting yelled at by my siblings or even my dad when we play together, so it surprised me.
“I was told not to complain. Usually I complain even if it’s not that serious of a match,” said one of the teammates.
It wasn’t long after that when they started another match with the actual team that they started yelling at each other.
One of the head coaches, Emerson Foster, talked about how he and Cory Hubble, the other head coach, finally got Esports to count as a sixth hour this year.
“It definitely wasn't easy… After speaking to administrators, the superintendent, and even the school board, we finally convinced them,” said Foster. “Essentially, we had to prove to them that there was educational value in an eSports class. Spoiler alert: there’s a lot.”
When asked about why they don’t join national competitions. Foster explained how in order to send one team, it would cost $1500. That would go for every member, which is around five of them.
“We would need sponsorships…Most don’t take us seriously since this is our second year. We do have a better chance since we won last year,” said Foster.
(Picture taken by Milly Deyoe) A kid-focused into the game he is playing.
They are already on their way of trying to claim another state title for this year, and possibly try to get sponsorships so that one day they can go to Nationals. [Author note: The Overwatch 2 team did end up winning, with Valorant and Rainbow Six Siege getting third place.]
They have a better chance of winning this year, with having a strong Valorant and Chess.com team. Along with that, they will also be adding Fortnite to the types of games that they will compete in, since some of one of the teams games would be out of season.
To support these gamers, go see them compete in the ESports room, which is down the history hallway in building 5 in room 5105.
