In most after school club meetings, students sit around a table talking, or maybe work on an art project together. In esports, however, students are often scattered across the room, staring at different screens, maybe yelling at each other, or high-fiving. While this may seem odd or different, there are many different colleges and high schools with such esports clubs, which have gained popularity in recent years.
Bellevue East has started a new esports club after seven years without one, providing a new space for gamers at school.
“I think it’s a great way to get students involved, especially those who are not interested in traditional sports or other extracurricular activities,” instructor Ronda Aken, who started the new esports club, said.
Bellevue West also has an esports team. According to Esports Insider, esports are electronic sports taken to an organized and professional level, and at West, this club was started 15 years ago by instructor Daniel Parkison.
“At the time, the games included Magic, The Gathering, and Minecraft,” Parkison said. “There was a big learning curve as far as being a sponsor. I had to set up the matches for different games. This included Super Mario Bros, Clash Royale, Rocket League and Valorant.”
At West, the club participates in different seasons of gaming. In the fall, they play Marvel Rivals, Super Smash Bros, and Rocket League, and in the spring they play Valorant, Mario Kart, and Fortnite Battle Royale. Most of these teams have around 2-5 members, who can vary.
“A lot stay around, but some go on to seasonal activities like bowling, soccer or track,” Parkison said.
Aken previously sponsored a gaming club at East that lasted for about nine years. The club met once a week, and students could bring whatever game they wanted to play that week. However, the club eventually had to shut down due to multiple issues.
“The club didn’t continue because of the cost, and the computers we had at the time weren’t fast enough to be competitive,” Aken said. “In addition, the network bandwidth wasn’t strong enough to download updates in a timely manner. Other school activities also conflicted with competition times.”
Starting a new club can be a long process. It usually takes about three years and some paperwork to become an official club, and another club has to drop out in order to make room for this new club. Aken started the new esports club, called the Video Gaming Club, on September 8.
“I have been waiting for the district to finish preparing the esports network for use,” Aken said. “I plan to start the Gaming Club… and then begin esports as soon as the network is ready— hopefully before the fall season begins.”
The start of this club provides a new space for gamers that East didn’t have before. Now, students will have a place to play video games after school, with other students who have similar interests. There are multiple students at East who are interested in joining the new esports club.
“It seems like a good experience, getting to meet new people too,” freshman Gabriella Emsick said.
Students also have the option to compete in their esports, both at school and at bigger tournaments. At school, smaller, weekly tournaments can be held, which is what West currently does. There are also state and national competitions if students qualify for them.
“The state competition is held at local colleges,” Parkison said. “Last year they were held at Wayne State college in the spring. The individual game members can go to state competition if they qualify with enough wins in weekly matches.”
The new esports club is back at Bellevue East after many years, and so far has met after school. There is a lot of student interest, and it adds a new club to the roster with different activities than most other clubs offer at East.
“I think it would be great to start esports,” Activities Director Chad Holtz said. “There is a lot of interest and I think it would be a great addition.”
