The competitive gaming scene at Fresno City College is bigger than it seems. Students came to a gaming event held by Student Activities called Nintendo Switch Wednesday on Sept. 3 in the student lounge.
Students came into the room, located in the far right corner of student activities to play Mario Kart World. The room was filled with people waiting to get a turn. The atmosphere in the room was competitive, with players taking jabs at each other.
To keep up with other events held by Student Activities, they have an instagram account @fcc_student_activities and a Discord Server.
Justin Batieste is a student worker on the intramural team at Student Activities that loves gaming..
“If I heard about this event, even if I didn’t work here I’d probably still be there,” said Batieste.
Batieste said he likes to play Mario Kart and likes to be competitive when playing games. It’s what student activities try to encapsulate for students coming to these events.
Justin Batieste playing Mario Kart World. (Photo by: Juan Garcia)
Student Activities also run game events that aren’t video games like ping pong tournaments at the student lounge patio and pool tournaments in the game room.
“I’ve come out here before for ping pong,” Joshua Kern said, an environmental science major at FCC.
Kern comes out to the student lounge patio regularly and interacts with the events Student Activities host outside.
Student Activities run other gaming events like Smash Tournaments every other Wednesday or League of Legends sessions at home. An esport is defined as a multiplayer video game used as the basis for an organized competition.
“Anyone can participate, the only thing in your way is the time you put into it,” Batieste said.
Batieste said he’s open to the idea of FCC having their own esports team