Gaming for Utica High School students has been brought to a new level with the introduction of their Esports Club, a group dedicated to students engaging in video game competitions with other schools across the state.
“It’s a very big thing nowadays,” Utica High School junior, Logan Spillane said. “Esports is growing and more people are making careers out of it.”
As a member of the MHSEL (Michigan High School Esports League), Utica High School has an Overwatch2 team and a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team competing in their inaugural year of play. It took a couple extra weeks, but Utica High is also competing in the Valorant game title. After forfeiting the first 4 weeks of play, the team has won three straight competitions.
The group encountered many technical hurdles before starting to compete, but with the technical assistance of Chad White from the district’s technology team, the first Esports club was successfully launched at UHS.
“I’m glad I was able to assist in starting something during my time here,” Spillane said.
A member of PRYME, UHS’ Overwatch2 team, Spillane was surprised that UHS is the first school in the district to introduce an Esports club. Overwatch2 has 60 Michigan schools involved while Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has 160 teams competing.
“Colleges are supporting esports efforts with programs outright, courses in it, or scholarships,” explained Rob Peltier, UHS teacher and Esports Club manager. “If schools are going to give kids money for it, then it’s something we should embrace.”
Match day for the esports teams are similar to that of physical sporting competitions, just through a digital connection rather than competing in-person. The Overwatch2 team is currently 6-1 and the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team is 4-3. The regular season has 1 more match day for both teams. PRYME has qualified for the postseason tournament which begins on Monday, April 15. The semi-finals and finals will be played at Oakland University on Saturday, the April 27.
“It’s the students and their desire to play that has made this possible,” Peltier said. “It’s only as good as they want it to be.”
As their inaugural season concludes, Spillane is hopeful it is not ‘game over’ for his Overwatch2 team.
His goal: “to at least make it to playoffs, or even finals.”
