Esports levels up
In room 224 on the second floor of the Humanities Center is a small, six-computer lab dedicated to Augustana’s Esports program. The room — albeit often noisy and overheated — has created a tight-knit, diverse and inclusive community unlike any other on campus, bringing together students with one common interest: video games.
Augustana Esports launched in the fall of 2022 and has since expanded from one game to six this year. Two years ago the program had 15 students; today 40 of its 50 members compete on varsity rosters. The program also added three new games: Overwatch, Smash Bros. and Marvel Rivals.
“Esports is different from any other sport,” program director Chris Knutson said. “There are no physical limitations, everyone is on equal footing. Every single person has the opportunity to compete in something they enjoy, including many who don't necessarily come from a traditional sports background.”
Central to this growth is fostering a welcoming space for women in an industry historically dominated by men. This fall, sophomore Alice Gomes de Moura e Silva brings eight years of experience to the League of Legends (LoL) team.
As at Augie, Esports is becoming massively popular in Gomes’ home country of Brazil and more female gamers are being recognized as serious competitors over multiple titles from Furia Female in Valorant to W7M Esports in Rainbow Six Siege.
Several of Brazil’s major teams are all-girl squads. In contrast, the roster here at Augustana consists of only a handful.
Only five of the 40 competitors on the Esports team are female players. As the only girl on the LoL team, Gomes is learning how to navigate a male-dominated competition and make a place for herself beside the boys.
“I think that women in male-dominated spaces are often expected to prove themselves more than men do,” Gomes said. “Even if nobody on my team makes me feel that way, sometimes I feel like I have to be really good at what I do because I don't want anyone to question whether I deserve my spot.”
While her male teammates have been “super welcoming and inclusive,” Gomes said she misses having another girl around.
“There aren't that many women in competitive League, so it's not always easy to find someone I can relate to or look up to,” she said. “Hopefully we'll start seeing more girls playing competitively in the next few years. I think that would be really cool, especially for younger girls who are getting into the game.”
Garrett Crossland, a junior sociology major and starting LoL player from Rapid City, spoke highly of Gomes’ impact on the team dynamic.
“With the playing style we run, you really want an engaged player on the team,” Crossland said. “That’s something we’ve lacked, and Alice has been awesome because she’s naturally very good at that. She’s picked it up really well, she’s learned quickly.”
Kei Meister, captain of the newly added Overwatch squad, is a junior studying theater and computer science. Gaming is one of her lifelong passions, nurtured by her father and older brother in Sioux City, Iowa.
Meister started on the Valorant team as a freshman and was their captain last year before taking the reins with Overwatch this season. She leads a five-player roster consisting of herself and four male teammates.
“The team is very respectful," Meister said. "A lot of my role is managing them and getting them to be serious when it’s time to focus.”
Meister said that women in gaming can be overlooked in comparison to their male teammates and face unfair stigmatization. She said that finding solidarity with other female players makes all the difference.
“When you meet other women, you always end up having a good time,” she said. “Finding those chance moments of positivity and connection is always a lovely experience that I tend to look forward to.”
That sense of camaraderie is already showing results. After what Meister called a rough start as a newly formed group, the Overwatch squad is showing steady improvement week after week. They captured a recent victory over New Mexico State University and will face off against Fresno Pacific University at 9 p.m. Nov. 12.
The connections fostered between members of Augustana’s Esports program also extend beyond the computer lab. A dedicated “Esports floor” has naturally formed on the fourth floor of East Hall. It houses three of the five League players as well as Smash Bros. captain Adam Oeltjen, his teammate Alex Poitra and Valorant player Anand Munkbatter.
Their proximity has helped inspire program initiatives like broadcasting for competitions. Sophomore media production major Eli Honner also lives on the fourth floor of East Hall and is leading the effort to start streaming game day matches with live commentary.
Knutson said scheduling broadcasts is difficult due to conflicting schedules with other sports and a shortage of volunteers familiar with the various games’ mechanics. Nevertheless, Knutson said he hopes to make broadcasting a consistent element of competition and one day have commentating become a paid position for students.
Physical space and hardware remain the program’s biggest hurdle. Because the 50 students share six leased Lenovo PCs, practice schedules are tightly packed. Knutson said he is working with sponsors and university administrators on expansion plans, including a potential lab in the East Hall basement to house more computers and increase practice hours.
From League of Legends to Valorant and Overwatch, players continue to navigate this season’s bustling schedule. Recent playoff runs in the Collegiate Champions League, a regional tournament hosted by Dakota State University, pit Augustana against some of the best teams in the neighboring states. The team also competed in the National Esports Collegiate Conference where they faced competition from across the nation.
As teams finish their fall schedules, Knutson said the focus remains on securing a bigger space and building a sustainable program.
“Our main goal is to recruit and retain students, travel locally and regionally and build a program that promotes a culture of growth and positivity,” Knutson said.
