For his senior project, Woonsocket senior Blake Howard wanted to do something he was interested in but was also different from what other seniors have done for their projects in the past. He wanted to do something with video games, but he wasn’t sure where to go with them. Then, he found out that his mentor for the project, Mr. Armando Rodriguez, was working on getting an Esports team together for next school year, and Howard thought maybe he could help. So, he talked to Mr. Rodriguez about starting an Esports Club, and things developed from there. 

Some may wonder, what exactly is Esports? According to gamequitters.com, Esports, “also known as E-Sports, Egames or electronic sports, is organized, competitive video gaming. It primarily involves teams competing against each other in tournaments for a cash prize. Functionally, it’s the same as traditional sports. Top-level athletes are constantly vying for the top spots in their sport, or game, of choice.” At the high-school level, the games that are played cannot have weapons used in them, so other types of competitive games are used that challenge a player’s ability, such as building something or solving puzzles, racing games, or games that have different levels, and the winner is the player who gets done with each level in the fastest time. The article on gamequitters.com states that Esports are so popular because gamers love competition, and Esports are so easily accessible. To play a traditional sport, a person may have to organize a group of people into the same physical location, whereas with online gaming, a person can play with people from all over the world instantly with an internet connection from the comfort of their own home. 

…Read on in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal!