Video gaming is a hobby that many people enjoy. There are an estimated 3.32 billion different people across the world who play video games in some shape or form. 

But what happens when someone takes that hobby to the next level to figure out who is the best of the best? You would get esports. 

Esports at Eastern is something new, with the club starting back in 2019, but it is still making an impact on competitions around the college esports space. 

EIU esports offers a multitude of different opportunities to all the different members of the club. They have multiple teams, including Super Smash Bros, Counter Strike 2, Overwatch, Rainbow Six Siege, Rocket League, League of Legends, Smite, Call of Duty, FIFA, NBA2k and they recently added a Marvel Rivals team. 

While Eastern’s program is new, the team is still getting competitive titles. Recently, Eastern’s Super Smash Bros crew battles team went undefeated in the regular season, going 7-0, placing first in the East 1A conference. Then, they went on to win the Open Plus Division 1 in playoffs. 

The junior varsity team is currently still in the playoffs, and their varsity team has been eliminated. 

Eastern’s Rocket League team also placed third in its very first invitational in the history of the club. 

Esports also offers other opportunities for people who are not interested in the competitive scene. They play video games like Minecraft together, and during meetings, they have things like video game trivia. 

The club even has an effect on people who are not in esports. 

The Eastern scholarship website has a scholarship called the Level Up scholarship. This is a scholarship made by the university that is for people who will be leaders in the esports community at Eastern. 

Vice President Liam Corcoran said he’s glad to see his impact within the esports community on campus pay off. 

“Seeing me make my impact on campus, something I love, something that can bring people together and not keep dividing people, It’s always good to have something like that,” Corcoran said. 

Corcoran also gave advice to others who are thinking of pursuing the hobby and want to start their own organization. 

“If you have an idea, you have the confidence, you just want to play the game, find the people you want to play the game with, just go for it,” Corcoran said. “You miss every shot you don’t take; you’re going to miss of course. I’ve missed a few shots. If you never go for it, you’re never going to make it.” 

EIU esports has its own arena in the Student Recreation Center. It provides a space to meet different kinds of gamers and group up with others who play similar games. The room offers different amenities with multiple different computers and consoles like Nintendo Switches and Xbox Series X. 

Corcoran said Eastern’s esports is also dedicated to breaking down the different stigmas when it comes to gaming, like the idea that playing video games is only for men.  

Esports is something that’s going to be around for a while globally. Multi-million-dollar tournaments are played in multiple different games all the time. 

Video game companies are starting to realize the market for a competitive experience and now there are games like Valorant that are specifically tuned to the competitive gamer. 

Over 200 different colleges have esports programs. 

In recent years, esports has become bigger and bigger. Corcoran said the increase of the esports community makes him feel good knowing that more people respect something that means a lot to him. 

“It’s good to see it rise up and become more mainstream, more people respect it,” Corcoran said. 

Emerson Reynolds can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].