The official IHS esports Club has many students excitedly waiting on the edge of their seats, wondering whether this conceptual gaming club will, at last, become a reality. Unfortunately, the club has yet to be started at the time of this article’s completion—perhaps owing to the many inherent shortfalls of the club. So, will this gaming group finally be established? Only time will tell, but there is a reasonable chance that it may not come into existence anytime soon.
For those unaware, the IHS esports Club is a proposed club that would focus on the competitive playing of online video-games, particularly those made for desktop computers. E-Sports stands for electronic sports, and represents an up-and-coming, albeit slightly controversial scene in which large-scale video game tournaments are held, some of which have immense prize pools. While many are drawn to the alluring, bright world of esports, the sport (if you may call it that) has, on numerous occasions, come under criticism for being what is essentially glorified gaming.
However, the establishment of such an unspecific club comes with plenty of complications and obstacles. One pressing issue is which video game should be played out of the sea of existing video games, many of which are recognized and played as esports. With a myriad of games such as Counter-Strike, Defense of the Ancients 2 (DotA 2), Fortnite and Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), the club has many options. It may be difficult for the club to decide and focus on a single game, for many students have their own video game preferences and may be reluctant to play unfamiliar video games.
Furthermore, for an esports club to function at its best, cutting-edge and fast hardware will be necessary. Some of the games that may be played in esports club are very demanding, and run-of-the-mill office computers simply won’t cut it. Therefore, gaming computers may need to be built or purchased. Naturally, the latest and greatest of hardware comes at a cost. A solid gaming computer can cost upwards of 1000 USD, and the club will most definitely require more than one PC. Thus, it becomes unclear how the funds required for esports to run will be raised.
Until the slew of issues plaguing the supposed esports Club is resolved, it is difficult to see how this club will be successfully established. In a world with endless numbers of video games, the club is at a crossroads. Since the path that a club like this must take is indeterminate and faced with outstanding budget and hardware issues, one must wonder whether we will ever see an esports Club at IHS.