Video games may be a hobby to many, but to thousands of professional video game players it is a lifestyle. Esports is a quickly growing industry and is projected to exceed $4.3 billion in revenue this year. Thousands of players use esports as a way to provide for themselves and their families, acting as a full-time occupation.
Did you know that Manheim Township High School has its own esports team? Founded in 2018, the team has had several successes and has ranked nationally. Advised by Mr. Krause, one of Township’s design and build teachers, the team is held in the technology hallway near the cafeteria.
The esports team is broken up into several smaller teams and each one plays a different video game. Games include Super Smash Bros, Rocket League, Valorant, Overwatch 2, Apex Legends and Fortnite. The club currently includes 35 players, each playing one to two games of their choice. The games listed above range from sports-based to first-person shooter, with something for everyone looking to participate. For those interested in joining, a quick summary of each video game is listed below.
Super Smash Bros: In Smash Bros, the player chooses a Nintendo character with specific abilities and fights another player. The goal is to damage the opponent as much as possible and receiving minimal damage; whoever is left standing wins.
Rocket League: Players use customizable rocket-powered vehicles to score against another team using a large soccer ball. Whoever is able to obtain the most goals in the time limit is the winner.
Valorant: A first-person shooter game where the player can decide which character to play as. Each character has different abilities and specialties, making for a competitive team game. Each game consists of several rounds and five players on each team, with none of the same characters allowed on a team. The objective is to either plant and defend the “spike” or prevent it from being activated. Whichever team receives the most wins per thirteen rounds is victorious.
Overwatch 2: This game also contains characters with specific abilities, each player participating in a different role such as healer or tank. The objective of Overwatch 2 is to take and defend certain bases throughout the map. The team who is able to defend the area for the longest and most consistent amount of time wins.
Apex Legends: Apex is a multiplayer online battle royal game where squads of three players compete to be the last surviving squad. Each player selects a character with distinctive abilities referred to as “Legends” to eliminate opposing squads.
Fortnite: A third person shooter game with various modes of gameplay, Fornite is considered one of the largest video games of recent years. The most common mode is Battle Royale which consists of a hundred players competing against each other to be the last survivor.
Like other sports, esports plays in a league and has specific seasons. As of right now, there is both a fall and spring season for esports players as well as three separate leagues to participate in. Each team is dedicated to a different game and is able to participate in competitive matches where they have the chance to win awards and rank nationally. The MT team recently received first place awards for the 2022-23 winners of League of Legends.
Although video games are an online platform, coaches can be hired each year to improve the teams. These coaches run practices that include developing the mechanics of the players, creating new strategies to use in game, and overall helping the teams improve their gameplay.
In order to keep up to date with the recent events of the esports team, check out their Instagram page @mthsesports. The page includes their records from the fall season as well as information about joining the team in the future.
