All about esports

A look at how competitive gaming works at Jones

All+about+esports

Although esports is a club and team that has been offered for several years at Jones for those who like to play competitive online games, what it is and how it works is not widely known. 

According to Kyle Eck, the general manager of the club and team, there is an important distinction between the Esports Club and the Esports Team.
“There are two different types of practice that [esports] offers,” said Eck. “We have an open lab, which is a drop in session where anyone can come and play games. Then there [are] team meetings, where every game that we play competitively has a season.”

Jiale Wu ‘23, a player on the League of Legends Team since the beginning of its conception in his freshman year, spoke to how esports has changed throughout the years. 

“In the beginning of esports, it used to just be an entertaining environment,” said Wu. “Throughout the years, Mr. Eck has been improving Esports Club and trying to provide us with better technology.” 

Along with the growth of the team, the club still offers a great place for anybody interested in gaming.

“I’ve always played video games,” said Adan Salgado ‘25, a member of the Esports Club. “When I found out there was a club for people like me, it was pretty cool.” 

Although Salgado enjoys gaming and participating in the Esports Club, he also acknowledged the stereotype that classifies gaming as an unhelpful activity.

“[People] used to frown upon gaming because it wasn’t really that productive,” said Salgado. “But now with streaming services like Twitch and YouTube, people are starting to notice that gaming does require a lot of brain power.” 

Wu agreed that esports has come a long way to being recognized as a valuable skill. 

 “I think the value of esports is that it connects to students who might not be interested in traditional sports,” said Wu. “Esports can bring the benefits of [athletic] sports, which include teamwork, collaboration, and communication.” 

Eck also emphasized the power of teamwork in competitive sports. 

“I’ve seen teams that have high skilled players get demolished by teams with lower ranked players because the team with lower ranked players are communicating and working as a group,” said Eck. “The teams with the best communication often win.” 

Eck highlighted that the esports community can be open to anyone. 

“I think everyone is a gamer at heart,” said Eck. “If you like games, you’d be welcome in esports.”