Despite the lack of exercise, the University of North Florida eSports Club believes that it is a sport.
While it’s not as physically exhausting as traditional sports, members find it just as mentally draining. Since most club members work and attend classes, practices are usually held between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.
On Feb. 28, UNF opened the ‘Flight Deck’ esports arena, designed for competitions and community events. The space features gaming computers, consoles and a broadcasting room for livestreams or other airings.
A newer phenomenon, Cody Rooke, a member of the Overwatch team, said: because regular sports have been in the public eye for much longer, there are more resources available for them.
“For us, we’re kind of our own coaches, we’re our own staff,” Rooke said. “You’re the one looking for practice. You have to find other players to scrimmage against. So it puts a lot more responsibility on the players to get better.”
Quion Lillie, a member of the fighting game community (FGC), said someone has to be a part of the club to understand eSports.
“It is literally electronic sports, so by definition alone, it kind of has to give the credit it’s deserved,” Lillie said. “There’s a lot of things that goes into playing these games…it takes a lot to be really good.”
Will Raffier, president of UNF eSports, said at first, he was insecure about joining the club because of the “gaming in a basement” stereotype.
Throughout Raffier’s years with UNF eSports, he’s seen the club grow not just in numbers but in talent.
“As people have been getting more involved, the club itself has been getting more and more skilled players,” Raffier said. “It feels like the more people that come in and the more that skills grow, the community gets more and more tight.”
The esports arena’s impact on the club
Now, however, with the addition of the ‘Flight Deck,’ the school’s new eSports arena, Raffier expects more talented players to encounter the club and potentially join.
On the topic of talent, event coordinator and Rocket League officer William Schmidt said he’s found a couple of people who are qualified at the game, which he called a “very mechanically intensive game.”
“I think it’s really great for the future,” Schmidt said. “And it’s the first time I think that, as [Raffier] said, we’re getting closer and closer and more tight-knit.”
Before the arena, the club would have to reserve space at ballrooms or other venues, competing with other clubs for valuable space.
“A lot of the ballrooms were taken almost immediately,” Schmidt said. “That was hard for us because we’re a very technology-focused club.”
Previously, the club lacked access to projectors, preventing slideshows and other presentations.
“It kind of invalidated the club a little in the way, in the sense that we just didn’t have the full potential of the club,” Schmidt said. “The space really helped us to have a place that is ours.”
In the past, the club would meet at different locations, making it less accessible and consistent for new people who wanted to join.
“Now that people are able to visually see that we have a space for us, it’s going to definitely bring in more traction,” Lillie said.
For example, the FGC team does weekend rumble tournaments at Founders Hall. With their own space, the club can now meet and practice at one location.
“A lot more people will come through now that they know there is now a place that is easily accessible to them to learn more information, play games and have fun,” Lillie said.
A couple of years ago, Raffier heard rumors about the arena from a previous president.
“He was like, ‘Hey guys, just keep this on the down low, but this is about to get a whole lot more official,” Raffier said, describing what he heard. “This is going to get more real, like this is not just going to be a club.”
Esports Arena reactions
Last Friday, Raffier said he was emotional after finally seeing the finished product. Raiffer helped work with IT services to set up the space for future events.
“I told one of my coworkers, they almost started tearing up because it just felt official,” Raffier said. “It felt like something that I care so deeply about is now being supported by a facility from the university.”
When Rooker first saw the esports arena, he was impressed with the turnout at the grand opening. Rooker said more students want to be involved, and Raffier is looking to add more leagues from different games.
“I thought it was really cool, just seeing the amount of interest not only from students, but people in the industry, people in the area, the mayor,” Rooker said. “It was really cool that we have this city behind us.”
Currently, the club has teams for Overwatch, Valorant, League of Legends, fighting games and Rocket League.
While members prioritize leveling up and improving their skills, they also game for fun, do schoolwork together and hang out outside of class or practice.
“To show that we’re not just focused on our craft, we’re actually being student-athletes in a sense,” Lillie said. “I do enjoy the fact that it is more towards that community aspect and not a personal focus.”
On Saturday, March 7, the Flight Deck, in coordination with UNF eSports, will host a countywide Mario Kart tournament open to high school students in Duval County.
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