If you walk past Darin Exstrom’s classroom before or after school, you’re likely to see several students gathered to play video games. However, they aren’t just hanging out playing games; they are gearing up for competition.
Elwood’s Esports team is kicking off its third year in competition and has eleven students who regularly practice and compete. This year’s game line up from the Nebraska State Esports Association (NSESA) is: Smash Ultimate, Clash Royale, Valorant, Overwatch 2, MarioKart 8, League of Legends, Rocket League, and Fortnite.
Exstrom enjoys being able to coach the Esports team.
“I am glad I get to participate in something that I enjoyed growing up and I don’t play video games as much as I used to but I enjoy a few games with friends when I have some downtime,” Exstrom said.
Like any sport, the Esports team members face challenges in their competitions.
“I feel like consistency is a big challenge, along with making sure we show that good sportsmanship every time we win or lose a match,” Exstrom explained. “It is difficult to not get frustrated when a competitor loses a match or many matches, similar to almost any competitive situation.”
Exstrom says that, like any other activity, students who want to do well need to be willing to spend time practicing and working on the competition game for that season.
“Competitive gaming is different from casual gaming in that it requires more discipline and training towards a particular game,” he explained. “Students often think that video games are just fun games and they can play what they want, but to be truly exceptional in Esports students need to put commitment and practice into a particular game. One of my jobs is to encourage students toward this mindset with Esports.”
Elwood Esports team members compete virtually throughout each gaming season, but there are also three possible state competitions that are held on college campuses. Last year, they competed at Hastings College on Smash Ultimate.
“I’m pretty excited to see where Esports goes,” said Exstrom. “It has grown over the years and has been in schools more. This has never really happened in schools before and there is a lot of potential to use different types of games in education, but also for competitions.”