It’s not all fun and games for this Whatcom County alum, but it’s pretty darn close
Watching someone else play a video game is no longer about sitting around waiting for your buddies to mash buttons until it’s your turn to get the controller for the next game in “Techmo Bowl” or “Mike Tyson Punch Out.”
According to a story Wednesday by the Spokane Spokesman Review announcing the launch of a 24/7 video game streaming channel on Twitch, a study of 3,000 gamers worldwide found that two-thirds of those ages 18 to 25 watch someone else playing a video game online at least once a week. The study also found that that same group spent more time watching broadcast video games than televised traditional sports.
Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C., is currently hosting the International Dota 2 Championships tournament — considered the “Super Bowl” of esports gaming. According to a story by The Georges Straight, Myesports Ventures has announced plans to build Canada’s first purpose-built esports arena in Vancouver as it tries to get its piece of an esports industry expected to grow in revenue from $250 million in 2015 to an estimated $1.5 billion by 2020.
Even colleges have gotten in on the act, as many are starting to organize varsity-level teams and offering scholarships to top players.
Alex Carrell, a 2015 graduate of Mount Baker High School, is one of those top players, as last week Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) University of Science and Technology announced in a press release that it had signed Carrell and 15 other gamers to its varsity eSports team.
“This is a really big opportunity for me,” Carrell said in a phone interview Tuesday. “This has been my goal ever since I started college at Central Washington. It’s something I’ve been working toward.”
Harrisburg has three esports teams, with players competing in “League of Legends,” “Overwatch” and “Hearthstone” tournaments. Though he says he played “League of Legends” competitively when he was a freshman in high school, Carrell received his scholarship to play “Hearthstone,” a fast-paced strategy card game.
“It’s a lot like chess,” said Carrell, who started gaming when he was in sixth grade. “You have a 75-second timer to sit down and think about turns and play what you think is the best play for a turn. You have to be thinking ahead.”
Carrell obviously does a pretty good job of doing that, as he actually had to play his way onto the team at Harrisburg in an online tournament.
“When I found there was a tournament ... to earn a scholarship,” Carrell said, “the first thing I did was call my mom. She told me to go for it. She knows I’m super passionate about games, and she’s super supportive.”
Carrell has been in Pennsylvania since July 31 training with his teammates.
And not all the training is fun and games, he said. Every other day, physical training is part of the regimen.
“They figure if our body is in shape, we can use our minds to their fullest extents,” Carrell said. “You’re not as likely to burn out your mind if you keep a healthy body.”
Carrell, who said he plans to major in computer science and software engineering in particular, said there are approximately 50 schools across the country that have established varsity esports team, though the nearest one to Whatcom County is the University of British Columbia. He said he believes the University of Washington is close to establishing an esports program, and there is already a varsity team at the University of British Columbia.
“Collegiate esports is rapidly growing and we’re proud to be building an incredibly competitive roster of gamers,” Harrisburg coach Geoff Wang said in the release announcing the Storm’s newest team members. “Not only are we developing world-class players, we’re equipping them with topnotch education and skills to be successful beyond the world of esports.”