Esports have taken university life by storm, combining the love of gaming with a strong sense of community with fellow video game enthusiasts. 

R.C., the vice president of the “Gaming at Marshall” student club, offered insight into the organization, which boasts a community of over 700 members, all sharing a passion for competitive esports. 

“We’ve seen a really big growth in terms of how open spaces regarding esports and gaming have gotten,” he said. “I think that’s really excellent, and I really like how gaming is one of those places that fosters such a wide and diverse community.” 

Gaming, R.C. said, for years, has been seen as a boys club, with little acceptance for non-typical gamers, but the community has shown leaps in diversification. 

“We’ve really grown from that now, and that’s not to say that we don’t still have a lot of work to do because we most certainly do in terms of expanding diversity and how we treat women in gaming,” he said.

Misconceptions surrounding gaming are common, R.C. said, noting many people don’t realize how complex and captivating storylines can be. 

Intricate storylines woven into games, such as Overwatch and Call of Duty, create virtual experiences unlike any other, R.C. said. 

“I think a lot of people forget that gaming is so diverse, and that it really strengthens our ability to tell stories and make amazing experiences for people,” he said. 

Coined as “one of the best community builders on campus,” club members encourage all students to join. 

“There’s always somebody who is as big a nerd as you are, and that’s what I tell people,” he said. “There’s always somebody who’s as dorky about something as you are, and you can probably find them in our club.”

A recent Women’s History Month event, R.C. said, reinforced the idea that everyone is welcome, providing a platform to celebrate diversity and women in gaming.  

“I tell you that we are a very broad community of people who just like video games regardless of your walk of life or your background or your identity,” he said. 

Holly Belmont can be contacted at [email protected].