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Behind BSC Esports
- Sophie Fafard
- Apr 1
- 2 min read
In the lower level of Bismarck State College’s student union lies a room filled with gaming equipment. There are likely a few students working away at a game of “Valorant” or “Rocket League.” This is the BSC esports lab, where students compete in weekly competitions to hone their gaming skills and fight for a win.
Esports stands for “electronic sports,” though this terminology does the sport no justice. Through esports, college students compete in competitive multiplayer video games in front of spectators. The spectators and competitive atmosphere are present in both esports and athletics, hence the use of the word “sport.” Through esports, students have the chance to test their gaming skills and move on to the next level with each win. Competitions take place every week, and students get a few practice hours in as well.
Although esports has been at BSC for about seven years, the gaming landscape continues to evolve. Once-popular games are replaced by newer, trendier games. “Overwatch,” for example, was a popular game, as well as “Fortnite.” Now, “Valorant” and “Marvel Heroes” are popular. Other games at the moment include “Rocket League,” “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate,” and “League of Legends.” The esports team plans to start “Marvel Rivals” in the upcoming weeks, since this game is becoming increasingly popular right now.
Esports Coach David St. Peter discussed how BSC esports competitions work and what leagues the teams compete in. There are two leagues, the first being the NJCAAE.
“The NJCAAE is the National Junior College Athletic Association Esports, so it’s the same thing all the other athletics are competing in, just the esports division. So any schools that are community college or junior college like us can compete in this if they have an esports team. This is the league we’ve been in.”
St. Peter detailed how BSC’s change from a two-year college to a four-year school and the NAIA division will affect esports.
“We’re moving to the NECC…that’s going to be our new league next year, we’re going to have one team competing this spring just to try it. This new league will be against bigger colleges…that’s primarily because BSC got moved to NAIA, the four-year school division.”
To watch BSC esports matchups, check out bismarckstate_mystics on Twitch, where you can watch esports matches for free and help support the esports team by cheering them on.
~ Located on Page 11 of Mystician 86.5 ~
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