By Austin Leonard
“Many people like to get into a philosophical debate as to whether eSports is an actual sport. It is a sport, by definition, and has an athletic scholarship,” says eSports coach and King alum Frank Morgan. Morgan holds 3 world records in Mario Kart and is ranked the second fastest in America and the ninth fastest in the world. He is motivated to make the eSports program an amazing part of King and to continue King’s mission through it.
One of the significant parts of the eSports program is that, like all other athletic teams, the team must be able to work well together to be successful, as well as making plays together as a team. Overwatch and League of Legends are both character-based games referred to in Overwatch as heroes and in League of Legends as champions. Each hero/champion has their own unique abilities and play style. They also normally have a role such as support, tank/defense, etc. Players must be aware of matchups as some heroes/champions are weak or have a harder time against stronger characters. As both are team-based multiplayer games, players must build a team that will function well together and cover each other’s weaknesses. In order to strengthen the team’s cohesiveness, they practice and scrimmage daily for 2 hours Monday through Friday. Morgan wishes to “put the team in a position for success” and create a good atmosphere in which to practice.
Currently the eSports team competes in the popular games Overwatch and League of Legends but are making movements to potentially add Fortnite and Rocket League next year. The current schedule for upcoming games can be found here. The games will be streamed on Twitch, live with commentators.
If you would like to visit the eSports arena, it is located on the lower floor of Bristol Hall. Any student interested in joining the team can contact Coach Morgan by email (cmorgan@king.edu).
