Turn on your favorite console, grab your controllers, mash those buttons, and get ready for a new kind of sport: the gaming kind.

Only in the past decade or so, competitive video gaming has become a legitimate competition to the dedicated gaming enthusiasts. Esports has been on the rise so quickly that there now are national teams dedicated to popular online games such as Overwatch 2, the Super Smash Bros. series, Call of Duty, Rocket League, the Mario Kart series, and much more.

The esports club was formed last year and was initially just for the middle schoolers. Now the club has leveled up into a middle school and a high school club.

Since esports is more or less a self-taught sport, the team doesn’t really need a team, but it does need supervision (can’t rage quit on the school’s watch).

Manufacturing teacher Cameron Brown is enthusiastic for this new student club: “It’s definitely too early to say, but there is some enthusiasm going for our Rocket League players.”

The school was able to fortunately provide the equipment (consoles, controllers, monitors, and future PCs) through a grant and the district has its own monitored account for every system. Plus, if you want to bring your own console, like a Nintendo Switch, the esports team will gladly let you do so.

Esports club usually meets every Tuesday for the middle school and every Wednesday for the high school.

Mr. Brown clarified that the team plays free-to-play games such as Rocket League and Overwatch 2 but doesn’t shy away from the first party titles like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

For those who don’t know these titles, allow me to give a bit of context. Rocket League is a unique free-to-play game that centers around soccer except that you drive a car that can jump boost and spin in the air. Yes, car soccer is real and actually has dominated competitive gaming for the past couple of years.

Overwatch 2 is the “sequel” to the award-winning FPS (first person shooter) game from 2016. The basic premise is that you play from a roster of heroes who work together as a team to accomplish some sort of goal like capturing a point on the game map. Overwatch (now Overwatch 2), actually is one of the games that put esports on the map with an international tournament that has teams competing from the US, Japan, Canada, Australia, and many more.

Super Smash Bros. needs no introduction . . . unless you have no idea what the series is then it probably does. Debuted during the 90’s, the Super Smash Bros. series has dominated video game sales for its unique twist a fighter video game: combine the platforming of the Super Mario series, the easy-to-learn/hard-to-master style of fighting games, and add all kinds of iconic Nintendo and gaming characters into one big melting pot.

Speaking of Super Mario, who would’ve expected that placing Mario into a go-cart racing game could turn family fun into intense, nerve-wracking, and relationship-ending competition? Mario Kart takes the titular character and all others from his series into a multiple racing course extravaganza complete with just enough of a learning curve for there to be dedicated tournaments.

All of these games have also been recognized by colleges alike who are looking for potential prodigy players by offering numerous collegiate esports scholarships team positions.

Just when you thought Beaver Area had done it all, now the esports team is ready to get us a win at some tournaments this Spring. Who knows, maybe your gaming hobby might also land you a spot on the team roster?