The Colorado State University Esports Team, a student-led organization that competes in a variety of online and in-person tournaments, is excelling in gameplay and growing community and leadership skills among its members. The club comprises League of Legends, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Rocket League, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, Counter-Strike 2, Apex Legends, Valorant, Call of Duty and Overwatch.

Founded in January 2019, the CSU Esports Team has grown into a fairly well-known club consisting of over 50 people. Under the guidance of President Ben Gregg, the team has shown impressive success. This past Sunday, Nov. 17, CSU Esports hosted their annual Game Swap, where each team gets assigned to a different game in which they will compete against another team also playing a game that is not their own.

“Our teams are better than they’ve ever been,” Gregg said. “We have more players than we’ve ever had, and they’re friends with each other more than they’ve ever been. So I think as a club, we’re definitely growing in a really healthy way.”

“The biggest misconception about esports is that we players are all lazy and sit around wasting time playing video games. Instead, we pride ourselves on our dedication of time to our games, knowing the ins and outs of our games and practicing hard every day to train our skills. We, like any other athletes, are passionate about our sport and do our best to prove why Esports deserve the attention it gets.” -Aashay Patel, team captain and Counter-Strike 2 in-game leader

The team brings many opportunities to those who join, especially for those who decide to join in their first year. Club members gain the chance to make friends with classmates with similar interests, learn leadership and teamwork and be part of something bigger than themselves that still accommodates their school schedules and lives.

The CSU Esports Team has practice schedules built around school schedules and commitments; typically, each team practices several times a week, with players engaging in training sessions that focus on improving individual and team performance. These sessions are about honing gaming techniques and building communication, teamwork and strategic thinking. These skills are crucial to success in the highly collaborative and competitive world of esports, where split-second decisions and synergy between teammates can make all the difference.

“In our club, each team has the flexibility to create their own practice schedule,” said Aashay Patel, team captain and Counter-Strike 2 in-game leader. “We practice Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8-10 p.m., and this is open to change based on homework and availability of players. We must maintain a 2.5 GPA to stay in the club, so I make sure the team prioritizes classes over practice.”

There are a lot of common misconceptions about those who are on the esports team, but members of the team said they strongly disagree with these misconceptions, saying that it is the polar opposite: Being on the esports team requires focus, energy, time management and more.

“The biggest misconception about esports is that we players are all lazy and sit around wasting time playing video games,” Patel said. “Instead, we pride ourselves on our dedication of time to our games, knowing the ins and outs of our games and practicing hard every day to train our skills. We, like any other athletes, are passionate about our sport and do our best to prove why Esports deserve the attention it gets.”

The Esports Team is still a growing club at CSU and has made a lot of progress this year alone — the Call of Duty team has already placed second in the National Barstool Tournament — but there is still a lot of progress that can be made; the Esports team is underfunded by the university, most likely due to the lack of publicity.

“Obviously, we’re not bringing the revenue football does,” said James Beattie Jr., a member of the Call of Duty team. “We get funds, we get support from The Rec and sports clubs, but if we saw a little bit more support on the varsity level, … I think we would be a lot better. … So I think having a little more resources from the university would put us in a better spot.”

More information about the CSU Esports Team, including how to join or support, can be found on their Discord.

Reach Riley Paling at life@collegian.com or on Twitter @rileypaling.