eSports Team Gears Up For Another Competitive Season
Competition has started for the eSports Team with matches this week in the statewide SUNY eSports League and national ECAC League. Players have been gearing up, taking their places at consoles in the new eSports Arena in Elston Hall, and getting ready for another exciting season.
Returning player Aiden O’Rourke, a Computer Networking Systems and Cyber Security major, competes in Valorant in both the ECAC League and the SUNY eSports League.
“I’m competing against other colleges which is definitely one of the highlights. Last season, we played against a school in Kentucky for ECAC. We’re playing many schools in the area as well. Also, there’s a connection between teamwork and socializing and working in a team setting.”
Shep Shepherd, a Liberal Arts: English major, returns to the team to compete in Guilty Gear Strive. They placed second last season in the SUNY eSports Playoffs.
“I had a really strong start where I won all of the matches that I was placed in on Monday against players from other SUNY schools as part of the SUNY eSports League. When it comes to preparing for the season, we save replays of the games that we won or lost and our Coach Cooper Hewison reviews them and he lets us know of any strong points or flaws and it’s really helpful.”
Coach Hewison, who has been guiding the eSports Team since it started in 2024, shared his thoughts for the season.
“This season I have high hopes for Guilty Gear because that’s the eSport that I coach the most. Last year we had Shep Shepherd place second. The semester before that we had Noah Wylie place first, so we’re always a top contender in Guilty Gear. We have a lot of new players that came in this semester for Valorant, so it’s going to be really interesting to see how they mesh together. I’m expecting good things from them. We also have new players for Super Smash Bros. and a brand new Fortnite Team. Some of them are new to eSports entirely, so I’m really excited to see them develop throughout the semester and see if I can help them improve as well.”
Inside the eSports Arena
In addition to competitive play, the eSports Arena is also popular with casual gamers like Khalim Hannah, a Music Audio Technology major, who visits the arena a few times a week to play games including Call of Duty. “I like the fact that it gives students an opportunity to cool down and get their minds off of studying for a little while. It allows us to detach. Also, for any students who don’t have a console at home, they can just depend on this, so I think that’s very convenient.”
Cesarina Mason, a Business Administration major, also enjoys playing a game or two during the day. She competed in Valorant last year. “My favorite thing about the arena is the fact that it’s so up-to-date. All of the computers are way better than we have at home. Also, the fact that I made so many friends being on the team itself is cool.”
There will be an eSports Instant Admission Day on Monday, February 16, from 2 to 6 p.m. for prospective students to learn how they can follow their passion for gaming while they earn their college degree!