The John Champe ESports teams are fairly new, formed as a result of the rise of ESports around the world in recent years. ESports itself is often clouded in mystery and there are a lot of misconceptions regarding it.
The JCHS ESports club, in room 1507, offers four competitive teams this season; Splatoon 3, Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, League of Legends, and Rocket League. However, only Smash Brothers and League of Legends are competing. The teams are all currently on their seasonal runs. Each team practices on Tuesdays after school, but the schedule is very flexible, according to the members. This schedule is one reason why many of the ESports players are able to practice to their fullest.
“We pride ourselves on our flexibility,” ESports club manager Zac Ellis said, “although, we do not treat practice lightly. Each of the teams practice very frequently outside of school, and we encourage them to play whenever possible.”
ESports is considered by many to be easy to master and unstructured, however, that could not be further from the case. Each team has their own methods of practicing, just like how different sports practice different skills. Usually, the teams practice by playing with each other and helping each other improve. Like in other sports, conditioning is important. ESports relies heavily on muscle memory, and if consistent conditioning is not done, skill is lost.
“Practicing for competitions is a priority of the club,” Super Smash Brothers Ultimate coach, sophomore Michael Scott said. “We consistently play and learn from each other. As the season progresses, we face more challenges and we alter our practice accordingly. Since we are not bound to meeting up in person, practice is really flexible. We can just hop on a call and practice our game, at any time. It’s really convenient because it allows for everyone to be able to talk and strategize at a moment’s notice.”
The teams are playing to win. Each team has its own way of playing, with the competitions being run differently depending on what game is played. The Super Smash Brothers rule set is very different from that of League of Legends. The sponsor of each of these teams is the VHSL, and the league they play in is the PlayVS league. The VHSL is a sponsor for many non-traditional sports competitions in Virginia. The PlayVS league is a platform that organizes tournaments for Esports teams registered in the VHSL. These tournaments allow for the club to be able to pursue serious competitions with other teams in Virginia, instead of only within their club.
“PlayVS kind of sucks,” Scott said, “but it doesn’t suck as much as it used to.” He discussed how the platform has evolved from player feedback in the past three years. There were many issues originally, however, with the help of the top players, PlayVS has been continually working on improving their platform.
(PlayVS)
The format of the competitions are radically different. In Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, the teams have individual players play three sets of up to five games, first to three wins. This format is the most efficient, according to PlayVS. In League of Legends, however, there is more of an emphasis on team gameplay, with there being five versus five matches that determine the results.
“There’s no one way to win,” League of Legends player Yunus Kedi, in reference to competitions, said. “League of Legends is a game where many playstyles are acknowledged and player individuality is heavily emphasized.”
The players themselves are heavily invested in the club. The club really only started with three people surrounding a TV, playing Super Smash Brothers Ultimate for fun. However, with the introduction of PlayVS and ESports scholarships being offered, the climate surrounding ESports has changed dramatically. Players are now interested in winning championships and scholarship money for college. Shenandoah University has partnered with PlayVS to offer scholarships for Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, which proves to be another form of motivation for the Super Smash Brothers Ultimate teams. As ESports develops and awareness rises, so too does the interest in the field.
“When we first started, we had no funding,” Ellis said, “but throughout the years, even Mr. Tyson has recognized the value of the club through the PlayVS league, and he has paid with his own money from his personal savings to sponsor us and give us new equipment to use.”
The players are passionate about what they do. Each player has their own reason for joining. The players all share a common understanding that this is something they enjoy, and that this gives them a sense of community. All the players have a great bond with each other, and they all work together to improve their skills.
“ESports filled a niche that other sports at Champe did not, making it especially appealing to me personally,” Kekoa Viccera, League of Legends Team Member, said. “In my freshman year, I tried many sports, but none of them really clicked. That was, until I found this club. There are many people here who I would say I’ve built close connections with.”
(Devesh Sudhakar)
The competitions are very rigorous, with many team members practicing nearly everyday for them. They have a goal in mind, the state championship. They each practice with their team in order to push for better gameplay. There are many other great teams in Virginia, so when they play, they have to make sure they have practiced to the best of their ability. Every team is looking to win the championships, so they have to practice the most they can in order to make their team the best it can be.
“One thing that really irks me is the constant negligence of ESports,” Ellis said. “The difficulty of a sport does not inherently come from the medium, but instead comes from the competition of the opposing players. Sports are only difficult if the people you play against are good, so aren’t ESports the same?”
