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Updated: April 15, 2022 @ 5:08 am
DeKalb High School esports team member Jack Peel warms up before a competitive match Thursday.
DeKalb High School esports team member James Herman practices his gaming skills before a competitive match Thursday.
DeKalb High School esports team member Jack Peel warms up before a competitive match Thursday.
DeKalb High School esports team member James Herman practices his gaming skills before a competitive match Thursday.
WATERLOO — DeKalb High School’s esports players are celebrating a successful season as all three teams have qualified for play-offs that begin next week.
Teacher Tony Miller is DeKalb’s esports adviser.
“Esports is video-gaming at a competitive level. Our goal is to sit down and play these team-based competitive games in a school varsity setting and compete against other schools,” Miller explained.
DeKalb has three teams that participate in competition.
The Super Smash Brothers team has three players and is the most individualistic of the teams, Miller said.
The Overwatch team works as a group of six for strategy and team play. The League of Legends team has five players.
The teams play against teams from other schools in the Eastern time zone, Miller explained. The Super Smash Brothers play against 72 other schools. Overwatch competes against 66 other schools and League of Legends competes against about 70 other schools, Miller added.
The League of Legends team finished with five wins and two losses in the seven-game regular season and will end up finishing about top 15 out of the 70 schools, qualifying for playoffs, Miller said.
“They will be on the advantageous side of the playoff bracket as they head into playoffs staring next week,” Miller said.
With its win on Thursday, Super Smash Brothers will be in the top 10 of their league going into playoffs.
The Overwatch team is guaranteed a place in the playoffs and in the top 20-25 of the league, Miller said.
As well as the fun of the games, esports teaches players skills such as communication, teamwork and dedication, Miller said. Being on a team also serves as a motivator, Miller added.
“I hold a pretty strict grade policy. You have to be passing all your classes. You’re not passing, you’re not playing, and so we’ve seen some of these students who were not in a great situation grade wise have been able to turn their grades around and really make positive movements in that aspect so that they can be a part of this,” Miller said.
“It’s like any team. You’re going to have people who grow into wonderful leaders and really be able to benefit from that. You’re going to have people who learn to be good followers … and you’re going to find that people who didn’t think that they were going to be good at team work really benefit from this.”
Miller said he has seen much growth in the teams this year. His players agreed.
“Our first day versus last week is such a huge difference,” said senior Alex Long.
“Our first match, we got destroyed — did not do well, but we kept going. It’s a great thing we did because look at where we are now,” senior Sabin McClure said.
“It’s just a lot of fun to work at. You can really see growth in yourself and other people. It’s visible. We struggled in the first part of spring and early in the fall and now we’re geared to make playoffs. Seeing that kind of growth is fantastic, and a great feeling when you win,” said junior D’Artagnan Finderson.
Freshman Connor Long said he enjoys the strategy that comes with the games.
“It does make you feel like you’re a part of something bigger, like most teams do. It makes you really look forward to coming to school and being able to come after and hang out with friends and do stuff that you like to do,” he added.
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