The LMU Esports Rocket League team are the defending WCC champions going into the 2022-2023 season.
Typically, the term “LMU champions” is associated with the success of LMU Athletics. It reminds one of all the sports at LMU and where they compete, from the sand in Manhattan Beach to the waxed hardwood at Gersten Pavilion. However, the Lions have recently found success in a new arena: the virtual world.
LMU Esports is the school’s home for competitive video games such as Overwatch, Rocket League, League of Legends and Valorant. LMU’s Rocket League and League of Legends teams were recently awarded titles in the West Coast Conference (WCC) tournaments.
For those who aren’t familiar with esports, the team’s schedules are similar to traditional sports; they practice as a team and prepare for their matchups each week. “We’ve done about five days a week: three days practice, one-day film review and one-day game day,” said sophomore marketing major and president of LMU Esports Hayden Press. “What we look at, for the most part, is the developer-sponsored collegiate leagues.”
Developer-sponsored leagues are either directly sponsored or approved by the creators of the games. This includes the WCC, which has partnered with Collegiate StarLeague (CSL) to help establish an official framework for collegiate esports.
This schedule of practice and framework has given LMU students a platform to showcase their skills on a national level, an opportunity that has met great success.
The first of these successes came from the Rocket League team. “We won our West Coast Conference championship in the spring of 2021,” said Press. “Being able to share that moment with teammates and everything was a very cool opportunity.”
LMU Esports is not planning to slow down its growth as it tries to shine a brighter light on its teams and their victories.
“For our Overwatch, Rocket League and League of Legends teams, we are making the transition to club sports,” said Press. “For us, what really is the main thing is getting the recognition.” This means that, while still being attached to LMU Esports, these teams would now also fall under the umbrella of club sports here at LMU.
With their success, LMU Esports recognizes that organized esports is still relatively unfamiliar to many and can sometimes be intimidating even for the most seasoned gamers. “A lot of people who are more into gaming than most might see esports and think they are not good enough to play,” said Press. “The casual side of our club is huge too.”
With everything that the esports club has accomplished thus far, Press and the rest of the club’s members have shown the best of esports both in and out of competition, especially with its ever-growing social section of the club. This starts with the teams looking forward to their WCC title defenses this year.
“… I really encourage you to come … it’s a lot of fun,” concluded Press.
