Owasso eSports Club Spotlight
By Ryan Bright
Photo of Owasso eSports Logo, taken by Ty Paine
COVID-19’s spread across the past few years has made many activities difficult. Sports, theater and other hobbies struggled as new restrictions limited the scale and participants of such events. In turn, many of the people whose events had been shut down turned to gaming as a way to escape the turmoil of life. In response to the sudden influx of people interested in online gaming, a group of Owasso students took the opportunity to revitalize the state of the Owasso eSports Club.
“The club provides a platform for eSports players to showcase their skills,” Ty Paine, one of the club’s coaches, explained, “Not only that, but it allows for people interested in gaming to try it out in a friendly and encouraging environment.”
Even with several students in support of the club, many are unaware of its existence. There are over three thousand students at Owasso High School, and yet only 53 students are members. Even fewer participate in the OESL (Oklahoma eSports League), the main event of the club.
This low participation is troubling because, as Clifford Richardson, the original founder says, “I want to see the same things [meeting new friends, gathering skills and the creation of a supportive atmosphere] to happen within the club.”
Many people are in need of a good place to bond with people who share a common interest. The Owasso eSports club wants to help do this by giving players a chance to work together, play together and win together.
As Richardson reflected, “I want everyone to shake off the stress of whatever they may be going through in their lives and relax in an environment that comforts all. It’s less about just playing video games, and more about meeting those who have common interests.”
Richardson stressed, “One of the biggest positives is meeting new people and gaining social skills. A lot of people, especially at a high school level, struggle with making friends and talking to others. In a video game environment, it opens up many doors for people to converse with one another.”
Not only is eSports enjoyable, but the gaming industry has been growing rapidly, opening up for more and more people to find career opportunities at the competitive level.
“It [eSports] is a valuable source of entertainment, just as much as any other nationally recognized sport,” Richardson explains, “The versatility of eSports provides genres of games for everyone, whether it be watching someone play chess, or speedrunning a game they loved as a kid.”
Though, recruiting more players is necessary for growth and success. Even now, many of the members are seniors that will soon be moving on. With such a large number of people leaving in the foreseeable future, it has pushed the club leadership to express why it is important for new players to join the club, as well as the benefits to a diverse player pool.
“Just as any sport,” Richardson argues, “with more players, the more the game will be interesting. Each person in their respective video games has different strategies from one another.”
The members of the club are ready to welcome any new students that would be interested in joining the Owasso eSports Club. The club’s growth has been held back with COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t growing.
Richardson ended saying, “I am quite proud of how things have been coming, and I am looking forward to watching how it will continue to grow these upcoming years.”
Club meetings are on Monday after school from 2:45 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
OESL Games Include:
Overwatch
League of Legends
Apex Legends
Super Smash Bros Ultimate
Rocket League