Sometimes, playing a few rounds of a video game is the best way to unwind. On the other hand, playing competitively in a virtual multiplayer game can be a great energy release. Here at Roger Williams University, one club sport offers the opportunity to do both.

RWU’s Esports Club is a competitive gaming group on campus that holds non-varsity club sports status. The club plays a wide variety of video games, including League of Legends, Super Smash Brothers Ultimate and Hearthstone. They also compete in collegiate leagues and will play a regular season before entering into playoffs, similar to other sports teams. Currently, they are competing through the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) against more than 100 other colleges.

“Our teams have been performing exceptionally this season with the Overwatch and Hearthstone teams being undefeated so far and the others not far behind them,” said Esports Club co-President John Harron. “RWU Esports has made itself known as a force to be reckoned within our debut season with the ECAC.”

The club sport has each of its seven active teams practice at least three to five times a week, on top of meeting as a larger group bi-monthly to discuss news and team standings.

Given the online nature of esports, COVID-19 did not cause major changes in terms of how the group functions, as players do not need to see each other in person to practice.

Esports Club aims to create an environment where students are able to come together and play their favorite video games, whether it be competitively or casually. Anyone is welcome to join and more video games can also be added to accommodate all club members’ interests.

“Not only do we hope to provide a competitive community that esports thrives with, but we also hope to provide a place for players to hone their skills and improve,” said co-President Michael Delli Carpini. “Sometimes players become a part of our community with great potential and through working with our players, we can see them improve and maybe even become a part of our teams.”

Esports Club streams most of its matches on its Twitch account: twitch.tv/rwuesports. More information about other matches and scheduling can be found on its club discord: https://discord.com/invite/nt4sQSG.