By Benjamin Nguyen

During these trying times (especially last spring and summer) where going outside for sports became difficult, videogames were a way for me to compete with others in a team environment from the comfort of my own home; when the school year finally began, I was immediately excited at the prospect of our school’s Esports club restarting again. 

Already offering video game titles such as League of Legends and Rocket League, the Esports Club is ready to kick into 2021 with new teams in games like Overwatch. Want to play video competitively for the school or casually while having fun with friends? Esports Club can do both. Serving as a strong team as well as a conduit for video games to others, our club is definitely one worth checking out. 

The club offers many different games, including (but not limited to):

League of Legends – A multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games where players pick unique characters (champions), working with a team to defeat the opposition. A little hard for gaming newcomers to get into (especially its role-playing game elements such as leveling up and buying items as the game progresses), but contains a lot of intellectual depth and is very rewarding to succeed in.

Rocket League – A mix between a race and a soccer match, players (in teams of 1-4 each) control race cars while attempting to get a giant soccer ball in the opposing team’s goal. Looks really fun (don’t have much experience with the game personally), with a surprising amount of complexity in a relatively simple concept.

Overwatch – One of the newcomer titles this year, Overwatch is a sci-fi first-person shooter (FPS) game fought between teams of six players each, competing for different objectives across a variety of maps and gamemodes. Players can choose from a variety of different characters, each with unique personalities and playstyles. Definitely very approachable, with the only drawback being its $20 game price tag.

Super Smash Brothers Ultimate – Possibly the most recognizable game of the bunch, SSBU is a fighting/platformer-based game in which people fight as famous videogame characters like Mario or Kirby; easy to get into, hard to master. Competition format is usually 1v1 or 2v2 battles between opponents with a stock (life) system, with players losing lives by getting knocked off of the stage (made easier by injuring the opponent with character moves). 

Try out a meeting or two at Esports Club on Tuesdays during Lunch/Learn 1 and 2! Please contact me (benjaminnguyen@garnetvalley.org) for more information.