Esports, short for electronic sports, is competitive gaming spanning a wide variety of video game genres. The three teams offered at Oakmont High School are Overwatch, Rocket League, and League of Legends. Alexander Wurden, an Oakmont science teacher, has been the advisor for three years since its initiation at Oakmont.

Many students believe that there are many positives to joining the esports team.

“It allows me to just kind of put aside some homework for a little while, get some gaming going and then after I just go back to whatever I was doing,” junior Austin Metke said. 

Metke is a member of the Rocket League B team. 

There are 40 dedicated people total that participate in esports at Oakmont, spanning two Rocket League teams, four League of Legends teams, and one Overwatch team. All of these teams also have casuals, who are people that sometimes attend and are substitutes if teammates can’t make it to a match.

“Officially, our club time practices are 2:45 to 4;15 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but because we’re competing in two different leagues with three different types of games and teams and match times, there ends up being something happening almost every day of the week,” Wurden said.

Oakmont is on the way to becoming the number one Overwatch team in the state, which is an impressive feat for only being three years old. They have played many matches while working to receive this title. They have two single eliminations to go until they have the chance to be champions.

Metke says it’s best to join with friends, but it is really easy to make new friends through esports. He has two friends that participate already and is making many more thanks to the welcoming people in esports.

If you are debating whether to join or not, Metke recommends you to “Join it!”

To join any part of the Oakmont esports, contact Alexander Wurden at [email protected]. After that, you will join the Discord, fill out a Google form, and fill out minimal paperwork. Happy gaming!