Isaiah Shim
Sports Editor
With normal getting thrown out the window amidst this pandemic, digital has been the way to go. From classes to meetings, people are now using their screens more than ever to keep themselves entertained. The sports world has especially been impacted by this, as even the National Football League (NFL) Draft was reduced to a glorified Skype meeting between the teams and managers.
Here at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU), the effects can be seen in other outlets as well, mainly the ever popular Intramurals. With everyone being separated physically, PLU Intramurals have turned to digital solutions to the ongoing events: eSports.
eSports are where people compete in different video games, mostly multiplayer games, professionally or just in local tournaments. People can compete individually or as a team, and they typically compete in front of a live audience, and have even been broadcasted by major networks like ESPN and TBS.
With major corporations like the National Basketball Association (NBA) and NFL hosting official tournaments in the past, PLU Recreation Advisor Rob Thompson was already looking into integrating eSports into PLU Intramurals.
“Once the social distancing and online classes were announced, I thought it was a great opportunity to dip our toes in the water of intramural eSports to keep students engaged,” he said.
PLU Intramurals currently offers FIFA, Madden, NBA 2K, as well as an MLB The Show tournament later in May on Xbox and PS4. On top of that, Rocket League is being offered on all platforms and Thompson has been pleased by the initial reception.
“We had a good response for a first-time program. We have had 67 individuals sign up for it with many of them playing in multiple leagues,” he said.
“We also opened it up to Lute Alumni and a few Lutes have committed to attending PLU this year. It’s been a great way for Lutes of all ages to connect with each other.”
One of these players is sophomore Coleby Loveness, and he was excited to see the announcement of eSports’ inclusion in Intramurals.
“It gives me some sort of competition during this time,” he said. “It’s great for the people that like to dedicate time to playing video games because it gives them a chance to compete.”
Loveness is currently competing in Madden and Rocket League, and can see eSports become a more prominent sport within PLU Intramurals.
“I think once more people hear about it it will become more popular and become permanent.”
When asked about whether or not eSports would become a permanent fixture in the Intramural offerings in the future, Thompson kept an open mind about it.
“We are going to see how the rest of this season goes and get some feedback from our participants,” he said.
“I do think that eSports has a lot of value and should be offered in some form at PLU. It could be through intramurals or maybe an eSports Club.”
Keep up with all things PLU Intramurals by following them on Instagram @plu_rec, or by downloading the PLU Rec app.
