Get in the game with eSports at Pensacola State College

Freshman Xavier Campbell plays Rocket League on a high-tech console in the eSports gaming room.

Many people consider playing video games a fun, relaxing way to while away the time, but for Pensacola State College President Edward Meadows, athletic director Bryan Lewallyn, eSports head coach Jeremy Sommers and his competitive team, fun is serious business.

According to Lewallyn, eSports was initially a thought of Dr. Meadows; as he spoke to other presidents and institutions about eSports, he quickly realized it was one of the fastest-growing events that students could compete in in an intercollegiate setting. “Dr. Meadows approached me in January 2021 to ask me to research eSports and find out what it would take to start a program, to figure out what that program could potentially look like here at PSC. We were just coming off the COVID pandemic, and we had funding available from the Cares Act, so it was perfect timing to roll out this new opportunity. Diane Bracken was an integral part of this, helping find a space in the student center to install 18 consoles for on-campus practice and play.”

The PSC eSports program was officially launched in 2022 to create another connection to the community, increase enrollment and provide an avenue for students with an interest in competitive gaming to attend PSC. Visual Arts Department Student Services Advisor Jeremy Sommers stepped in as head coach after Scott Brumfield, founding coach and an integral part of the live streaming piece of the launch, took a professional position elsewhere. Sommers said, “I was approached about the position by Dr. Jon Stephenson, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, who asked me if I played any games, and I told him that I had competed in games and tournaments before. It is interesting for me: this is my first managerial, mentor-type role and I feel like I am always learning something new.”

Dr. Stephenson also saw interest in South Santa Rosa campus students and worked with Dr. Meadows to install five gaming consoles on that campus to increase opportunities for involvement, especially as there are high schools in Santa Rosa County that already have eSports teams and dual-enrollment courses. Stephenson contended that eSports could offer a way to forge alliances with those schools and bring additional students to Pensacola State College.

The team is comprised of two different competition tiers. Lewallyn said, “Think of T1 as varsity and T3 as junior varsity. Tier 1 athletes must be enrolled in at least 12 hours of coursework and maintain a 2.0 grade point average. With T1, there is an opportunity to go into the post season to compete in and win the national championship.” Last fall, the T1 Call of Duty: Warzone team took home the NJCAAE National Championship trophy, so PSC teammates are eager to capture another national victory again this season. Sommers added, “I know my team is raring to win another trophy this year. They saw what we won last fall and would like to win another. I know I would like to see it happen, but I do not want to put on any unnecessary expectations of anyone. At the end of the day, I want them to try and have fun with it.”

Currently, 30 competitors participate in eight different games in various configurations (Super Smash Bros: Ultimate, Rainbow 6 Siege, Call of Duty:4v4, Call of Duty: Gunfight, Overwatch 2, two teams for Valorant, Fortnight and Call of Duty: Warzone), and the teams primarily meet on the online Discord server. With eSports played on computers or personal devices, students can play in the campus eSports room, next to the game room in the PSC Student Center, as well as in their own homes. They use the Discord server to give bigger announcements and set up physical meetings in the eSports room. Sommers asserted, “Since I cannot be in the room all the time, I rely on student Assistant Coach Jason De Padilla, captain of the Rainbow 6 Siege team, and other team captains to keep some accountability for members to show up for practice. With the vast number of games we have to offer, I have delegated some students whom I see want the role of team captain, to get into a leadership type of position. I look for students who want to play better, get better and strive to want more for themselves. It builds character and shows other players on the team what we are about.”

Psychology student and Valorant team co-captain Josiah Gadia has been with the team since its inception, after asking if there was any sort of gaming club as he registered for courses at PSC. “I enjoy getting to find out more about the other players – and I end up finding out more about myself in the process. I like to make connections with people,” he smiled. Olivia Joiner, captain of the Overwatch 2 team, agreed. “One of the benefits of being a captain is that I get to watch for team strengths and weaknesses, and I see how my teammates grow in their skills over time. Plus,” she grinned, “winning is a lot of fun!”

Competitions happen once a week per individual game, with competitions going on every single day of the week: from Monday to Friday, there is a different game played each day by a different team. All competitions are hosted on an online competition platform, and teams are matched with a different college in the NJCAAE organization each day. Currently, spectators cannot watch competitions, due to technological challenges, but mechanical engineering student and team captain Olevia Coleman (Fortnight, Apex, Street Fighter 6) volunteered to help rectify this. Sommers said, “I would like to set up a Twich channel for the college, to have the games streamed on the website for many people to view without straining the computers.”

Athletic director Bryan Lewallyn contends that the type of students who would be interested in joining the eSports team are dedicated, competent and willing to learn. “I see students get passionate about these games! I like to see students want to improve, compete and really try at these games – ultimately, anyone who has an interest in gaming and wants to be part of a team. We have a big opportunity to grow our Tier 3 team, as there is no eligibility component; participants simply have the desire to be a part of a competitive team in the gaming community.” The Tier 3 season officially kicks off Monday, Sept. 23 at 5:30 p.m.

If this sounds exciting, any prospective players who are interested in joining the eSports team and “get in the game” can contact Jeremy Sommers at jsommers@pensacolastate.edu or at (850) 484-1553.