Looking for scholarships is a rite of passage for most high school students, but who would’ve thought that you could get them from playing video games with your friends? The ESports club at the Woodlands High School is a great opportunity for many of its students, and with the incentive of winning scholarships, there has been a much greater interest in the club lately.
“We have double the amount of people than we used to,” club president Kevin Smith said. “We use two rooms instead of one, and we’ve got more teams competing.”
This year, the club’s range of video games has greatly expanded .
“Last year we only had Smash Bros, and now also have Mario Kart, Overwatch, and Rocket League,” Smith said.
As the beginning of the school year progresses, members of the club have begun training and practicing for competitions.
“At the moment, we aren’t playing competitively,” Smith said. “We’re trying to make teams. We have a Smash Bros team pretty well developed and an Overwatch team that’s also doing surprisingly well.”
The club meets after school on Tuesdays in room 241, and members enjoy these meetings for a variety of reasons.
“I get to play with a lot of friends and there’s a lot of games that I enjoy, so it’s generally a cool place to hang out after school to destress,” said E-Sports club member Peter Wu.
Although there are many opportunities to compete against others, competing isn’t required to be a member. Anyone can be a part of the club, regardless of their skills at the offered video games or their aversion to participating in any tournaments.
“You don’t have to be super competitive or anything to join the club,” Smith said. “At least half of the club is casual members who just play here with each other to have fun.”
The club offers students the chance to play video games with other people, so they are able to meet people with common interests, and if they decide to compete, they can even earn scholarship money for winning.
“The club is great for people who can’t play at home or struggle with finding other players,” Smith said. “You can make new friendships, compete against other schools, and if you are competitive, you can win scholarship money.”