What is eSports? Seriously, do you know what eSports actually is? Did you even know that we have an eSports program at Hall? Odds are you have no idea what I’m talking about.  It’s expected though, since Hall’s eSports program, and eSports in general, is very new to many, with a large number of people never hearing about it at all. So what is eSports? Let’s find out.     

For a basic definition of what eSports is at Hall, you could look at the Hall Titans eSports website which states, “Hall TITANS ESPORTS is a co-ed, co-curricular, competitive video gaming program in which new and experienced gamers learn, practice, and compete in several individual and team-based PC and Nintendo games.” That’s a basic definition but misses out on so much more to eSports. While the main idea is to play video games competitively for prizes, there is so much more to it than just what a definition can tell. One of the biggest aspects of eSports is the people you meet. To quote Sebastian Fortuna, head coach of Hall eSports, “I think it’s about the friends that you make.” “People who probably would’ve never been friends or never had contact with each other, or suddenly friends and making contact with one another.”  ESports is a place where gamers can just play and relax while earning prizes. Yes, you can actually earn things from eSports like college scholarships. To quote Hamza Haji-Ahmed, smash team captain and spring 2022 state champion, “There was a tournament over at University High School. It was a college scouting tournament. It, so pretty much like we had, it was a typical tournament, right? But on the side, there are also like college scouts who came by to talk to you.”Colleges are scouting eSports, making offers and giving out scholarships the same as any other sport. Speaking as being the same as any other sport, as of fall 2022, eSports is recognized by CIAC and William H Hall High School as an official sport. “It’s nice to see like, well, like the posts on  hall, athletics, you know, it’s pretty awesome, you know, like, um, game and recognition, you know, alongside like football, cross country and other, you know, sports, at hall like that.”  

With a large range of sports such as Smash Bros, Rocket League, Mario Kart, Splatoon and more, Hall’s eSports program is bigger than ever with 33 members currently with plans to increase membership in the works.

So what is eSports? ESports is a place where people can relax and play games with others who have the same interests. It’s a place where people who don’t normally play a sport compete for something they’re passionate about. ESports is the future of sports. If you’re still confused on what eSports is, then why don’t you join and find out for yourself.