Esports has finally arrived! Playing video games is finally being recognized as an actual sport by most schools. Esports first started in 1972. Back then people did not take competitive video game playing seriously. Esports is a very big thing now in our society, as there are teams at most high schools and colleges.

The first official interest meeting for esports at OHS was massive. Over 40 people attended the meeting in Mr. Hayes’ classroom, so the interest level is strong. Esports will be major here at Osbourn because so many people are really interested in video games.

“Well, when I was little I used to have a Nintendo WII.  I used to play on it a lot then I got a PlayStation 3. I love video games they get my mind off of bad situations and they’re a great time to hang out with friends. Video games have been there for my whole life when I felt like I needed an escape,” said sophomore Johnathan Myers.

“Video games have been a part of my life forever. Games are such a unique art form – they combine music, visual art, storytelling, and so much more into one piece of art where all of these mediums must work together to create a whole concept. I’ve been collecting and playing since I was really young, and in high school, I got really into competitive video games like Super Smash Brothers and Overwatch. My friends and I played a lot at home, but we had always wanted something more organized.

Years later, as a student teacher, my placement school had an eSports team. I was shocked to learn that not only did they have a team, but they were playing against other schools in VHSL-sanctioned matches! This would’ve been a dream for me in high school! My cooperating teacher was the coach, and I became a temporary assistant coach, helping to organize matches and provide players with feedback on their gameplay.

Now, I’m in my first year of teaching and my first year at Osbourn. I quickly learned there was a Super Smash Bros. club, and I volunteered to take over in hopes of building it up to be a full eSports team. It’s happening much sooner than I thought, but I couldn’t be more excited!” Hayes explained.

“Through esports, I hope to form another community within Osbourn. I want a place where people who play and love games can work together and compete in a space where they are welcomed and supported by their teammates and coaches. While success in competition is great, the main goal is for us to be a team that works towards that together. Competitive video games require just as much practice, dedication, skill, and teamwork as a traditional sport does. Check out some competitive matches and you’ll see just how much technical skill is at play. So far, we have a little more than 40 people signed up, although we’ve had close to 50 attending our interest meetings. We’ll be getting started for real almost immediately after winter break,” Mr. Hayes added.

As the season gets closer, the eSports team will organize and practice for competitions. In the second interest meeting, all those interested discussed new developments and expectations. A Schoology group was also formed to better share updates.

Once the season gets started, matches wl be every week, usually after school at 4:00. Matches will be played online from Mr. Cornetta’s room. The team can’t have very many spectators in the room itself, due to the number of players and lots of equipment, but they hope to eventually live stream the matches through a service like Twitch.tv.

Talk to Mr. Hayes or Mr. Edwards if you have any questions regarding eSports.