The involvement of students in intramurals this year has decreased due to Covid-19 restrictions. In response, the Benedictine has developed a virtual Esports league as a part of intramurals.
Adam Gardner, director of Recreational Services, said the decision was in part due to an offer the school couldn’t refuse.
“PlayVs (the company running the games) offered their services for free this school year, Gardner said. “They are pretty new and they want to attract schools. I’m not terribly familiar with many of the games, but a free service was too good to pass up. It’s a great opportunity for the students.”
A player in the league has the choice of either playing solo or to play with a team. That player or team will then be in competition with other schools around the country. Players will compete in games such as Rocket League, Fortnite, Overwatch, Madden and FIFA.
“Solo players will connect to their games through the PlayVs site and teams will each have a captain designated to make sure they get connected correctly. It’s a school versus school setup,” Gardner said.
Jack Tweedie, senior, is ready to get involved in the latest intramural trend.
“I think it is really cool what the school is doing with starting an Esports league. Covid-19 has made it really difficult at times to hang out and interact with my friends, so having a league like this where no one’s health is at risk is a great thing,” Tweedie said. “It is also really cool how we are able to play against other schools across the country.”
Gardner said that the turn out for this league has been good so far. He expects even more people to sign up closer to the deadline, as he has noticed students tend to wait until the last minute to register for all intramural sports.
You can register online through Raven Zone, with the registration deadline on Feb 19.
