Britons eSports Gear Up for Season at Open House

A young woman in a long-sleeve pink shirt plays a video game on a gaming computer while looking towards and speaking to another young woman who is smiling. The two are sitting in a row of gaming computers, with another student farther down the row looking in their direction.
Two eSport team members and a visiting student play games on computers in the eSports lounge during the team’s open house on Friday. The open house invited students to challenge team members in a game of their choice as they met the team and explored the lounge (Photo by Bonnie Lord).

After first, second and third place wins in fall conferences and the hiring of new Director Andrew Bigos in October, Britons eSports began the spring semester with an open house for any students interested in joining the team. 

The Britons eSports team is made up of a production team and several game-specific teams, including Overwatch 2, 2K, Rocket League, Valorant and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Ypsilanti senior and Production Team Captain Stefanie Ethridge, known by her gamertag “GremlinThing,” said teams compete in three conferences. 

The Britons’ Overwatch 2 team placed first, Rocket League placed second and Smash placed third in the Block House Esports League, Ethridge said.

“As a whole, the team has been doing really good,” Ethridge said. “The teams have great chemistry, and they’re really enjoying it.”

The team began competing this semester on Saturday, where Smash won 2-0, Rocket League lost 1-4 and Overwatch 2 lost 0-3. The team will compete again in the Great Lakes Esports Conference on Saturday, and begin competing in the Eastern College Athletics Conference on Monday, Bigos said via email.

Though the team competes at specific times, Ionia junior and Smash Team Co-Captain Heath LaPointe, known by his gamertag “Cyclone,” said eSports is “always in season.”

“The gaming never stops, the practice never stops,” LaPointe said.

Between rows of computers, a young man in a white and gold jersey smiles while looking towards and speaking to a student wearing a coat and headphones. Next to him is a man wearing a purple shirt with a beard, who is turned away from the camera.
An eSports team member and Bigos speak to a student during the open house. “We just want to be good at what we do, and everyone here is very good at what they’re doing,” Ethridge said (Photo by Bonnie Lord).

At the open house, several eSports team members wore jerseys bearing their gamer tag on the back. LaPointe said he likes to think the jersey “means you’re part of the eSports family.”

LaPointe added that he came to Albion to join the eSports team, though there are several reasons one might want to join.

“There’s always a different answer for everyone,” LaPointe said. “You like video gaming, you want to try something new, want to get into a competitive aspect; we’ve basically got all that.”

According to Ethridge, the recruiting process can look different depending on the recruit.

“Say they’re an Overwatch player, they’ll get time to actually play with our team and meet our team because team chemistry is a huge thing,” Ethridge said. 

For new members, Ethridge said the team looks for “somebody that’s here to have fun,” but at the same time, “take this thing seriously.”

Despite some teams having won titles in conferences, Ethridge said the team isn’t often mentioned or acknowledged outside of its own social media. 

Ethridge, who grew up playing volleyball and soccer, said switching to eSports when she came to Albion showed her “it’s definitely not as respected as it should be.”

“Obviously it’s not as physical as other sports, we’re not running around for 20 hours a week,” Ethridge said. “But, it is a very competitive thing, and it’s something we have to keep ourselves very disciplined in.”

Ethridge added that rather than playing on a field, the production team livestreams the teams’ competitions through platforms like Twitch, while also posting on their Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.

“#eSports is a real sport,” LaPointe said.

Alongside recruitment, Bigos said he has other goals for the future of the team. One goal is to secure “some real signage” for the space to replace the piece of paper taped above the entrance. Bigos also said he gives players requirements for practicing, including a requirement Bigos said he likes to call “touch grass.”

“Here, you have that fun atmosphere,” Bigos said. “You’re working as a team to go towards a championship, ultimately, but you’re also building a family too.”

About Bonnie Lord 60 Articles
Bonnie Lord is a junior from Alma, Michigan and an environmental science major at Albion College. She is driven by community, justice and sustainability. She enjoys bird watching, reading and dismantling the patriarchy. Contact Bonnie via email at bfl10@albion.edu.

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