With the new semester came a new sport added to the list of club sports offered on campus. Troy esports, also known as the Troy Trojan Gaming Team, held its first interest meeting at the Troy Campus Rec Center.
Troy is one of the first Sun Belt Conference schools to start an esports gaming team, allowing students to compete against other teams in the nation through competitive esports.
“I’m looking for a very competitive team right off the bat,” said esports coach Chas Cary, who is from Chelsea, Alabama. “We wanted to reach a different audience and bring more students into Troy University.
“So, we want to be able to compete nationally and locally while making sure that everything is going to happen the way we want.”
The games currently offered are Valorent, League of Legends, Rocket League and Overwatch. While these are the only four games offered at the moment, the team plans to add more as the semester goes by.
“We want to make sure that we are staying inside of places that people are comfortable playing in,” Cary said. “We want to make sure that the games are going to be competitive, since we know that all of the surrounding schools around us play these games at a competitive level.
“So, we are going to make sure that we’re matching them competition wise while also still making sure that we can reach out to other games when it comes to it.”
Throughout the meeting, students were able to ask questions regarding the team’s schedule and plans while also meeting other gamers.
“I have an interest in casual gaming, and I’m looking to get better at gaming in general,” said Matthew Kelly, a freshman cyber security major from Arab, Alabama. “I want to improve my skills and even look at joining this team.
“I also enjoy playing games with friends and would love to meet new friends here.”
Although the club only offers four different competitive teams, players bring their own experience in numerous games to the table.
“Since there is definitely a lot in store here, this will just provide me with the opportunity to get coached by other gamers who play a variety of games just like I do,” said Alexandria Hughes, a freshman accounting major from Dothan, Alabama. “I’m a very passionate person about gaming and its industry.
“I want to create a good bond here since this is a great place to bring in people, especially women like me, to get more involved in this industry because it’s going to be the next big thing.”
This organization will only have 10 players on the team after going through an interview process. These 10 players will then be divided into two groups of five. Players on the team have to maintain a GPA of at least a 3.0.
If you have any questions, contact the team by emailing troycampusrec@troy.edu.
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