Established in the fall of 2023, the Vandal Esports organization is going strong. Those who visit are often impressed by how many trophies are already up on the shelves. Immortalized next to one of the plaques is a can of Monster Energy.
“For most of the students that are involved in Esports, what they have found is that this is like their family away from home,” said Wayne Ebenroth, the Vandal Esports Director. “Most of the students don’t have parents that are living in town, so this is a new world experience to them. This is a place where you feel like you can talk to friends that are going through the same struggles.”
Ebenroth emphasized that Esports offers a unique way to help students prepare for the professional world through learning how to fit in with a team. It isn’t hard to see where he is coming from — teamwork is fundamental to everything going on in the Esports lounge, from the shoutcasters bouncing off each other, commentating the Rocket League game, to the players in the middle of their matches announcing their plays and covering for each other.
“There’s just so much connection and community and people are just, like, so supportive here,” said Garret Britton, the Rocket League team coach. “We’re all here because we love to game and we all like to play with each other.”
Britton also shared Ebenroth’s sentiment that Esports can help students in their futures. “I think a lot of people don’t think of the professional aspects that come with playing in games or the career opportunities that can be a part of it. And in addition to that, I don’t [think] people even know where to start when they think about that kind of stuff … And I think it helps people visualize, like, wow, this is what my career or my life could be in this kind of scenario.”
The benefits of Esports are also rooted in the community. “I think it offers people an opportunity to gain really, really committed friendships and really tight interactions with other people,” Britton said. “Expand upon who they might know as a friend, you know. There’s tons of people here that probably would not know each other had there not been a program.”
Britton also shared Ebenroth’s sentiment that Esports can help students in their futures. “I think a lot of people don’t think of the professional aspects that come with playing in games or the career opportunities that can be a part of it. And in addition to that, I don’t [think] people even know where to start when they think about that kind of stuff … And I think it helps people visualize, like, wow, this is what my career or my life could be in this kind of scenario.”
The lounge environment is incredibly positive. Competitive environments of any sort require good communication, but what makes Esports stand out is how everyone’s communication is consistently paired with empathy and care for their teammates. People are not bashed for making mistakes or losing a round; it is only encouragement. So often, competitive environments can quickly become abusive ones when the team and coaches zero in on victory as the only goal. That type of hostility is absent from the Esports teams at the University of Idaho.
“We’re all here because we enjoy each other, and we’re not here to be toxic, we’re not here to have like, you know, that toxic masculinity that can mask other sports. I think sports are a beautiful thing because they allow, specifically men, to experience so many more emotions that I think aren’t really allowed for men in a lot of spaces,” Britton said. “I really strive to, like, allow an environment where we can all be true with ourselves.”
He continued, “Whenever I hear them having laughter, having fun, that’s like, that makes me feel like I’m doing my job. So, as long as that’s happening, like, we’re good. You know, we could lose every game this season, but as long as we laugh at some point during the game, that’s fine.”
Even with such a flexible environment, the Rocket League team has already secured two championship wins. As a whole, the Vandal Esports organization has earned 14 awards since 2023.
Esports also offer an avenue for an accessible community. “I feel like the main thing that Esports offers that isn’t really seen in other sports [and] clubs is just the accessibility. We have so many people that really just started playing on a laptop or maybe started just playing with their friends online,” said Britton. “We’re all connected because of the Internet. It’s really freeing in a way, because you don’t need a baseball field to play a game.”
Esports creates a competitive environment where distance, physical ability and age suddenly aren’t limiting factors. All you need is an Internet connection and some interest in gaming.
That sentiment of connectivity was shared by freshman Eric Tibbals, a member of the varsity Mario Kart and League of Legends teams.
“Esports is an environment for people who oftentimes are kind of isolated,” Tibbals said, “Finding an Esports organization allowed me to find like-minded people to play with … It’s an opportunity that a lot of places don’t yet have.”
“Esports was an outlet for me to experience games in a way I haven’t done it before. I’ve always been good at games, but I’ve never been able to play on a team,” Tibbals continued. “It’s such a different environment for every game. Like, playing League of Legends on a team is completely different than playing it as a solo player. It’s just not the same game.”
“Esports is something that you can always be a part of,” Tibbals said. “You can always try out. There’s no reason not to.”
Notably, the Vandal Esports organization spans beyond just the players. A lot of work goes into the broadcasting side of things, with games being livestreamed on the UIdaho Esports Twitch channel, turning it into a spectator sport and drawing attention and interest from anyone online.
The evening’s shoutcasters, Amelia Green and Ella Kepple, worked in tandem to commentate on the Rocket League game.
For those without knowledge of a game, their commentary contextualizes everything on screen. The commentators track players and their moves with ease and serve as a roadmap so anyone viewing can not only watch the game but also understand its inner workings.
“I really like the atmosphere here,” said Green. “I found that I’m really comfortable just being a shoutcaster. It’s a lot of fun, honestly, just being able to say that, hey, my job is talking about video games.”
Kepple expanded on this sentiment. “I like the [commentary]. I feel like it’s a good relationship … [It] offers good analysis for people who maybe are just stopping in really quick to watch a stream, but don’t understand the game super well.”
Upon hearing the term “esports,” a lot of people struggle to take it seriously. For many, the idea of conflating video games with “sport” is hard to understand: Aren’t sports meant to stem from athletics, bringing a competitive nature into the challenging yet rewarding athletics we enjoy? How can that concept merge with video games?
As it turns out, it’s pretty easy. Esports share a lot of fundamental traits with conventional sports teams: a competitive spirit, dedicated participants and a shared, genuine passion. Esports members don’t hold their practices on a field or track, but that doesn’t devalue what they do. Vandal Esports offers a fresh perspective on what healthy competition can look like, showing that new genres of competitive sports are not only legitimate but also invaluable.
Julia Kolman can be reached at [email protected].