ANDERSON — As a youngster in Elgin, Illinois, Hannag Gross satisfied her need for competition by participating in multiplayer video games online.
Enticed by a friend in the dance program, the Anderson University senior majoring in theater is able to get the same satisfying rush as a member of the varsity esports team.
“I guess what really pushed me into it is I really enjoyed the community,”’ she said.
AU is one of many schools, from K-12 to college, leaning in to the popularity of video games by starting esports teams. Anderson High School started a similar team a couple of years ago.
Gross, 22, became interested in video games through her brother but played only recreationally until she got to college.
“For me, they are relaxing even though they can be a little upsetting at time, but it’s all in good fun.”
For Gross, who became involved while esports was a club, said becoming a competitive team on the order of basketball, football or tennis means video games are being taken more seriously.
“It’s nice being recognized as an actual sport rather than as an interest club because we do put in the practice time.”
As one of the students who helped persuade the university to convert the esports club into a competitive team, Gross said it gives AU another marketing edge as officials recruit students.
For its part, AU officials went all in the summer of 2020, hiring Matt Burnstedt as full-time head esports coach and providing a computer lab where students can practice and compete against 13 other schools in the Great Lakes Esports Conference. It turned out to be a great move as the nation went into isolation because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
“They had great success with many students joining the program,” he said. “This is something students can get involved in that is different from traditional sports but still gives them an outlet to be competitive.”
Since fall was the first competitive semester, AU’s team has been experiencing some growing pains, Burnstedt said.
“Last semester, we tried, and we learned from it,” he said. “Competitively, we are on the right track, and I think we will see results. I am trying a lot of feedbacks this semester, and this semester we are doing tremendously better.”
Burnstedt, who said he is “fluent” in “Super Smash” and “League of Legends,” is challenged with the task of coaching students whose specialties are games other than his own and whose skills sometimes exceed his. They include Jackson Long and Rico Mandolini, who are among the top 200 “Rocket League” players in the world.
The university has attracted about 51 students across nine teams, including a broadcasting team. Teams are set up according to the game they play.
Teams for specific games are assembled for an eight-week competition season as students show interest and recruit their friends.
Rather than tryouts common in other sports, students join through open enrollment according to the game in which they would like to compete.
Though there is a starting lineup of five on game day, Burnstedt said the goal is to give anyone who is interested and has been practicing for a specific game an opportunity to play.
“Surprisingly, a lot of coaching revolves around communication even though video games appear to a lot of people to be a solitary pursuit.”
With continued growth in an industry where the best players can go pro the same as in any other sport, AU officials have wrestled with the idea of taking a next step and developing either a class or a major toward a career path in the video gaming industry. It’s possible AU will one day add video game business or design courses but is challenged with figuring out how those might differ from the traditional courses already offered and finding instructors with those specific areas of expertise, he said.
Freshman Asher Glover, 19, who is from Pendleton and commuted rather than living on campus his first semester, said he joined esports as a way of meeting other students.
“From the games that I play, it’s extremely team-based, so you have to have the trust of your teammates,” the music business major said.
Esports are a good alternative for those who don’t have the athleticism for traditional sports, said Glover, whose specialty is “Valorant,” which is similar to “Call of Duty.”
“It’s related to the game I played the most, and I was most comfortable with the way the game mechanics were,” he said of his team choice.
The teams practice on Tuesdays and compete on Saturdays. As in other sports, they review their plays through recordings.
“It’s kind of like looking at a playback of a football game where you can see the ways you can improve.”
Follow Rebecca R. Bibbs on Twitter at @RebeccaB_THB, or call 765-640-4883.
