By: Ike Woodbury
From space-racing worms, dinosaurs, and monkeys with bandanas to making a fire-breathing dragon fight to the death against a flower in a pot, video games are truly one of mankind’s most entertaining and creative inventions. Amidst the cartoonish chaos, elite masters of the games step up to secure victory for Fremont. These champions are known as the Pack Players of the Esports club.
There are two main games in which the Players compete: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Smash) and League Of Legends (League). The other games in which the Players compete are Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Rocket League, though most choose to play in Smash or League.
In League, there are two teams of five players on each side. Using a massive range of 140 characters with different abilities, they create plans, develop strategies, and theorize about the optimal path to take based on different scenarios. For this game, the top Player is Nathan Osenbach, and he’s one of the main strategists. He and everybody on the two teams agree on a plan to use and practice it until they can incorporate it into their gameplay when the time is right.
In Smash, two players from different schools face off against each other in a 1v1 match. The students can pick from almost 100 different characters, all with different moves and playstyles. The characters chosen are controlled by the two players, with the better competitor being victorious.
For the Smash team, the top Player is… well… me. Take a look at the author if you want to know my real name, but in the game, I go by Thoughts__ (Yes, the two underscores are important). As an Esports veteran of two years, I think that people should join because of the welcoming and joke-filled environment, and because students are simply there to have fun, meet new people, and to get green-slipped on three days of the school year for competitions.
Keston Ashton, a senior who goes by Rexb0t2.o in-game. He describes Esports as “a place to relax, play games with friends, and meet new people who get your interests.”
If students are there to improve their skill level, it’s 100% possible when repeatedly facing off against people who spend way too much time on the game.
Some students have over 750 hours in total between Smash Bros. For The WiiU and the latest edition of the game, but don’t let that deter you! Just by attending the practices, online competitions, and three in-person tournaments, that’s another 50 hours added to a player’s experience!
The Players meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 2:30-4:00 in Miss. Spell’s room, B-209. On Tuesdays, they compete in 1v1 matches against each other, determining the team placings, and on Thursdays, there are competitions against other schools in the district via online connection.
New students can join sometime after the halfway point of the year, and there’s no skill requirement. Upon joining, students are accepted into a Canvas course for the club. Once there, a form is open for students to say which game they want to play in. You’re always a part of the pack when you’re a Pack Player!
