Esports Continues Strong at Olivet!

Olivet’s Varsity Esports program is wrapping up their 3rd semester of competition this winter. Teams continue to compete in League of Legends, Overwatch, Beat Saber, and now Rocket League. A new organization has also been created called Training Grounds, which features a broader range of games, internal events and tournaments, and academic opportunities related to gaming, including game development, streaming, shoutcasting, and more. Students are taking internships through esports to learn skills, such as working remotely, video editing, animation, and other digital content-related areas.

Under the direction of Mike Szostek, Director of Esports and Professor of Media Arts in the Department of Art and Digital Media, and a growing list of esport coaches, Olivet is fielding teams for an expanding list of esport titles with Varsity and Training Grounds teams. Highly skilled students compete with other universities in a variety of collegiate esport organizations, such as Tespa, CVRE League and CSL (Collegiate Star League) as varsity teams. Training Grounds students practice the rulesets of each organization as they work their way to competitive levels, test out new games that are proposed for Olivet Esports support, and discover new friends that have a common interest in game titles.

Joining the ranks of other campus interest groups that feature games and digital media, such as Olivet’s Tabletop Gaming Club, students that play video games have opportunities to connect with each other, whether it’s through competitive teams, a variety of competitive or casual intramurals, or supportive roles, such as assistant coach, analyst, shoutcaster, esports information, graphic designer, or more. Olivet also offers related concentrations that benefit gamers who are pursuing professional development or are interested in studying game-related topics. The Media Arts concentration under the Department of Art and Digital Media teaches students about game and VR/AR (Augmented Reality) development, 3D modeling, 2D/3D animation, emerging video techniques, live streaming, and incorporating their art into various multimedia projects or showcases.

For more information about Olivet Esports, visit onutigers.com to keep up on rosters, schedules, and news, and follow on Twitch, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@OlivetEsports) to hear more information and to watch live streams of select matches.