Leveling Up: Esports Takes Off in St. Joseph Schools
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The St. Joseph School District just hosted an esports jamboree, bringing together students from Benton, Central, Lafayette and Mid-Buchanan.
The teams faced off in popular games like Smash Bros and Rocket League. Central High came out on top in several rounds, snagging first and third in Fornite and second in Smash Bros.
“It was really fun, if I remember correctly I did smash bros and I also watched some of the other people do their matches and people at fortnite are insane,” Darren Henderson, Junior from Central highschool said.
Henderson says these matches happen every two weeks which was the norm two years ago.
The district plans to keep these tournaments going every couple of weeks, with students able to compete in-person or online—even from their phones at home.
“It was the first time for me to experience an esports type of area and it was really amazing to meet new people there and see how competitive playing video games is,” Fernando Maldonado, Junior said.
Anyone can stop by and sign up—each school has its own players who get to decide if they want to compete against other teams.
“They can do them daily but we don’t have as much as I would like. I am hoping to see that grow with Missouri Western’s involvement in this,” Ashley Murawski, E-sports coach said.
Murawski also says this is a great opportunity that enhances the ability to contact with people that they wouldn’t normally have an interaction with.
Players can either meet up at each other’s homes for scheduled matches, or connect online ahead of time to plan things out.
“I have always really liked playing video games and i am a very competitive person so I hope to continue doing esports and playing related stuff in the future as well,” Naomi Noble, Junior said.
Students say they’re looking forward to more tournaments, where they can make new friends, boost their confidence, and face off against teams from other schools .
