Martin did not expect that he would be able to extend assistance to his alma mater in this time of the pandemic through something he loves doing: competitive video gaming.
The 26-year-old BSBA alumnus of UA&P participated in the inaugural “Flame and Frost Cup: Dragons’ Esports Tournament” organized by the CSA-Office of Sports Development (SportsDev) and the University Student Government for the benefit of the varsity teams, sports clubs, and the Phoenix scholars of the University.
The Flame and Frost Cup (F&F) offered Tetris, Stumble Guys, Valorant, Call of Duty Mobile – Battle Royale (COD-BR), and Call of Duty Mobile – Multiplayer (COD-MP). The events were open to UA&P students, employees, alumni, and family members. The tournament kicked off with the Tetris games on April 10 and closed with the COD-BR competition on May 8.
All the right reasons
Evan, a fourth-year AB Political Economy student, joined F&F for several reasons, foremost of which is to support the fundraiser.
“I wanted to contribute to a great cause, which is to help our sports scholars,” he said.
The pandemic has curtailed in-person athletic competitions in UA&P and among universities. However, the SportsDev is preparing for the eventual return to the sports venues.
“We are expecting that when physical trainings resume, we would need to raise funds to help pay for the additional costs of the safety measures that will need to be implemented to keep the athletes safe,” declared Patricia Marie “Coach Chi” Marcelo, project head of the F&F esports tournament.
“We would also like to extend our help to our varsity service staff who was affected by the travel restrictions caused by the pandemic,” she added.
Therese, who got exposed to video games at a young age while growing up with two brothers, joined Call of Duty Mobile because she wanted to support SportsDev. It was a bonus for the third-year BSBA student to get to know her schoolmates who like the same game and to play against them.
“I play this game as a stress reliever,” the 21-year-old disclosed.
Martin agreed, “Playing video games is a great way to relieve stress and also an enjoyable way to bond with my siblings.” The alumnus and his brother, who is a BSBA student in UA&P, joined Valorant and bagged the top prize. They have already participated in two tournaments with the top esports teams in the Philippines.
“My brother and I love joining tournaments to challenge ourselves in Valorant,” he remarked.
This spirit of competitiveness spurs not only Martin, Therese, and Evan but also Coach Chi, who usually plays for recreation but participates in competitive leagues once every six months to help improve her skills and gain experience.
“Trying out competitive gaming for the first time is a real surprise because you can gauge the level of talent that competitive players have over those who play leisurely,” she told Universitas. “Joining competitions gives you a different kind of rush because you know you are playing against real people and not computer-generated opponents.”
Esports in schools
Esports, or electronic sports, is an online multiplayer game that is competitively played by professional players. Esports games can be played using consoles, personal computers, or mobile phones. Most games are free to download and only need a stable internet connection to be able to play. Esports is very much alive in the Philippines, and it is starting to gain prominence in schools.
“AcadArena or ‘the home of Philippine campus esports’ has already reached 300 schools,” Coach Chi mentioned. “Though not a lot of schools are open to the idea of esports as an official activity, the relevance of starting to look into it is becoming apparent, especially during the quarantine period where most, if not all, events are held online.”
Similar to other sports, esports makes use of the players’ neural and communication skills, demands strategy and teamwork, and develops players’ precision with a lot of practice. In addition, students into competitive video gaming have to keep in mind that they need to balance their commitment to the game with their time for studies, socialization, proper nutrition, and sleep.
For the Flame and Frost Cup, the organizers allowed only players who were 18 years old and above to participate in the main games of the esports tournament to guarantee the age-appropriateness of the games. The games featured in F&F are those that will not be used in the upcoming Unitas Games of the University. The first run of F&F, however, came not without a hitch.
“It is difficult to hold an esports tournament for the first time with majority of the manpower being students, but as is true for all pioneer events, there is a great potential for learning especially when challenges are overcome,” Coach Chi explained.
She continued, “I learned that to make an event successful, there should always be a plan in place to help deal with unexpected outcomes of the tournament execution. Also being considerate of the resources that you have is a great way to ensure that you are operating within your means. Asking for help is also welcome, as different talents and skills will help contribute to make any event better.”
With the emergence of Ignitus, the esports student organization of UA&P, Coach Chi thinks that esports tournaments might just be a regular thing in the University.
“I believe it will be, provided that the students always practice responsible gaming. The student body showed interest in esports based on their participation in the Flame and Frost Cup and their support to their friends who joined. Those were indications that online events could be a good way to bring the UA&P community together.”#
Special thanks to Coach Chi for the F&F images and the student interviews.
Banner photo by Jose Gil on Unsplash.
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