GCC esports players competed from home

By CHARITY SMITH

[email protected]

Ironwood — Esports teams at Gogebic Community College were able to continue to compete in spite of the governor’s stay-at-home order in light of the cornavirus pandemic.

According to GCC’s esports coach Jim Halverson, the season continued, but players were required to use their own equipment and play from home. This did result in one of the college’s teams having to withdraw because not all members of the team had their own equipment.

When the order was put in place the esports season had only two regular games remaining. However GCC’s Super Smash Bros team continued to compete in the playoffs until early April.

Esports are video gaming competitions, and several colleges across North America, including GCC, “field” teams. Players are qualified and function as they would in any other sport except they do not have to travel much, if at all, according to Halverson. Each team competes from its own location — even at home — on the internet.

GCC had 22 players competing in games such as Overwatch, Super Smash Bros, Rainbow 6 Siege, Rocket League, and Counter Strike: Global Offensive this season.

The teams primarily play games using high end Alienware PC systems designed for gaming, but they also utilize such systems as PS4, Xbox and Nintendo Switch, which are all available to the players in the college’s Samsons Esports Arena — a specially equipped room in the Erickson Academic Building.

Plans are under way for next season, according to Halverson.

“I am actively recruiting players for next year,” he said in an email. “Gogebic offers the same scholarship opportunities for esports that we do for all our other sports.”

Halverson said he has already recruited seven new players for the 2020-21 season.