The Mississippi State University esports team has reached a new milestone: being named an official club sport.
Esports is essentially an organized, team-based competition taking the form of video games. The competitive atmosphere of MSU Esports presents a unique community through the team’s shared love of video games.
The club was established in 2012 as Esports @ MSU, but the recent addition as a club sport has also renovated the team’s name. From this now on, the team will now be known as MSU Esports.
Steven Knecht, MSU’s coordinator for competitive sports, believes the club’s recognition is well deserved.
“The organization shows that they compete at the highest level they can reach, possess the tools to thrive for years to come, and show the potential for a rising trend in today’s world,” said Knecht. “UREC wanted to take part in a growing recreational trend that will hopefully bring more students and more interest to Mississippi State University.”
Esports teams often frequent large, mainstream games such as League of Legends, Overwatch and Rocket League, but MSU Esports practices much more variety. With 19 active teams competing, the club covers a wide range of games including Call of Duty, Hearthstone, Fortnite and more.
No games are out of question for this team, though, as members are looking forward to expanding their groups and adding more to the list.
MSU Esports President Jason Deshong credits the current officers and last year’s cabinet for the group’s latest level of success, but said it will not stop there.
“Despite reaching one of our long-term goals as a new cabinet, we have not stopped pushing for growth, as we are aware that this is a marathon, not a sprint,” Deshong said. “We want to keep making opportunities for our players, school and community.”
Being named an official club sport follows a year of long nights, tough conversations and lots of paperwork for the group. MSU Esports is grateful to the university for recognizing the goals and efforts of its members.
The club’s vice president, Jacques Crochet, believes the inclusion in club sports will help make a name for eSports.
“Being included as a club sport is a huge honor, and we hope to represent Mississippi State the best we can, while also bringing recognition to esports as a serious competitive sport,” Crochet said.
Most of the members said they have turned to video games as an escape at some point in their lives. MSU Esports hopes to present to them not only an escape, but also a fundamental self-esteem booster that gives members the confidence to succeed.
This year’s Egg Bowl, which has been played between the football teams of the University of Mississippi and MSU since 1901, will feature a new esports addition. The eSports Egg Bowl will take place at the Pavilion Oct. 13, where it will be free to the public and streamed online.
The team said excitement an understatement when it comes to this event. Similarly to becoming an official club sport, the team saw the Egg Bowl as a possibility years in the future.
Now that it is less than two weeks away, players are looking forward to the potential of bringing home their first Egg Bowl trophy. This will also be the first time they have played onstage.
Deshong said he hopes the team’s recent developments will convince skeptics that video games are a widely-pursued passion.
As the team moves toward its first Egg Bowl, its passionate players can reminisce on how far MSU Esports has truly come.
“I bet they (MSU Esports) will do incredible things here in Starkville,” Knecht said.