36 ESPORTS FOCUS University Esports
LEVEL UP The USC Esports logo represents a trojan, which is the name used to describe USC students
officer, who will make sure that everyone feels supported by the society. E-FIGHT ON FOR USC ESPORTS The University of Southern California has been a powerhouse in collegiate sports and media expertise. In 2018, it combined both with the establishment of the USC Esports Union. Sophia Granado is the vice-president of the USC Esports all-female executive board and head of the social media team. She’s also a big FPS fan. “I do like competitive games, but I wouldn’t necessarily want to go compete for a big cash prize. We’re starting to have more of a competitive
presence, but the appeal for a lot of our members is the casual environment and being able to play games for games’ sake,” she explains. That is a spirit that seems to underpin her university’s esports approach. USC Esports is, like Maryville, split into competitive and community groups. The competitive teams play League of Legends, Overwatch and Smash. The community group is very much a place for fun and laid- back socialising. Discord is the main hub for interacting with the club and is a funnel for those interested in USC gaming and the activities of the club. Varsity matches streamed on Twitch are also dropped into the Discord for group chat and cheering. Given that the university has one of the world’s top game design schools, not to mention its traditional reverence for sports, it’s surprising USC doesn’t offer much in the way of esports scholarships, unlike many other Californian universities. “The Overwatch varsity team gets a little bit, but it’s not really enough to cover expenses,” says Granado. USC Esports seems caught at the crossroads of its identity as university sports club and the alluring professional road that dominates American college sports. Its varsity teams have performed acceptably well, but there has been hesitation to push the team to achieve in
the vein of other USC sports. Oliver Scott (@oliverjsscott) is esports editor at USC Annenberg Media, the school’s student-run news site. He recently took a hard look at the crossroads facing USC esports in an opinion piece. “Once people start watching esports, the (USC) administration may start feeling pressure to recruit players for their skill rather than creating a space for students to pursue an interesting extracurricular. The spirit of competition will become the driving force of the programme.” It’s a valid concern. Video games at university have often been a refuge from the relentless pressure of college life. What will happen to college gamers when their hobbies become serious business? It’s probably not a matter of if, but when, and college esports broadcasting and the media rights accompanying it, will be a major catalyst in making it happen. “I feel like if we were too gung ho, a lot of our members would feel uncomfortable, because of how laid-back our club is,” says Granado. “We’ve been able to have a really strong community, because it wasn’t just about winning all the time.”
WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO HAVE A REALLY
STRONG COMMUNITY, BECAUSE ITWASN’T JUST ABOUTWINNING ALL THE TIME
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