Esports: A New Frontier

The exponential growth of Esports worldwide inspired an RBC staffer to bring it to the college.

By Sterling Giles

For years, gamers have received earfuls from their loved ones that video games are a waste of time. But with the astronomical growth and popularity of gaming and Esports within the last decade or so, gamers have the last laugh.

Tim Hurley, Head Librarian at Richard Bland College of William & Mary (RBC) and an avid gamer himself, has had his finger on the pulse of Esports. So much so he was inspired to sponsor and bring it to RBC. He tapped RBC Director of Student Life and Athletics Scott Newton to legitimize the venture as a varsity sport.

The Esports team could not have been introduced at a better time because it aligned with the mission of the newly-constructed RBC Academic Innovation Center set to open this fall. The edifice will be a space for multimedia and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) programs and initiatives. Among its impressive amenities will be a gaming sporting arena and lounge, which will primarily be used by Esports. It will be stocked with top-of-the-line computers and monitors, gaming headsets, consoles, as well as cameras for video streaming.

However, the big question mark that remained was getting word out about the team. The first phase of building Esports was making it a club first and in the succeeding phase, establish its competitive team.

“We started thinking about who on campus would be the best and the best positioned to make this a successful program,” Hurley said.

He set up shop at one of the college’s club fairs and came across RBC student Kevin Meza. The club intrigued Meza and he would eventually come on board as president.

Meza was introduced to Esports in high school and was hooked from the onset.

“I didn’t really realize how competitive it could get,” Meza recalled. “It was really fun.

“I think it definitely kickstarted me to want to do more with Esports and try and maximize what it could be here.”

Currently, the club meets Monday through Thursday from 2-4:30 p.m. in room 120 in Ernst Hall. Still in its pilot phase, the modestly-sized collective hopes to grow in the fall once the competitive team is established. “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege,” “Call of Duty,” “Fortnite” and “Rocket League” are a handful of the titles Meza anticipates the team will play competitively.

RBC will compete in the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Division II Region 10 against Wake Technical Community College, Johnston Community College, Guilford Technical Community College, among others.

Hurley values the hard and soft skills these competitions will foster among his student-athletes.

“Not only do you get the general athletic standpoint of teamwork, leadership and learning a routine, I think it teaches them to be successful not only in sports but on the academic side as well,” Hurley said. “The structure provides them with a lot of skills that are transferable to the future.”

Meza is hopeful about the future of Esports and its impact at RBC and beyond.

“There are people on the team that have shown interest that they want to pick this as a genuine career path, which I think is important to foster,” he said.

For more information on the Esports club and team, contact Tim Hurley.

In photo (L-R): Solius DelCristo, Logan Moses and Kevin Meza