Esports? Is that like video game competitions? That’s a question I commonly receive when I tell someone that I play for my university’s Call of Duty team. The first person shooter franchise that began in 2003 has been a favorite hobby of mine since I was 12 years old. I have had countless late nights and unforgettable memories from playing video games with my friends. Going to college, I continued playing Call of Duty for fun. Fast forward to my junior year and I found out about the College CoD League (CCL). I wanted to start a team for the University of Oregon. I went to their Twitter account and found out that my school already had a team. I was thrilled, and once I got in contact with the team I was able to become a substitute player for the starting roster.

My first season, we lost in the second round of the losers bracket in playoffs but I had created great memories with my teammates and the greater UO Esports community. I couldn’t believe collegiate esports existed! I used to be embarrassed to tell people that I play Call of Duty for fun. All of a sudden, it was cool to tell people “Yeah, I play for the university’s Call of Duty team.” Call of Duty is a cultural staple for most teenage boys, celebrities, and professional athletes. As the years have gone on, the prominence of esports has risen dramatically. There are million dollar tournaments for some esports every year, apparel brands are doing collaborations with esports organizations, and even pro league franchises sign virtual academy teams to compete in online leagues. The whole landscape was changing right before my eyes.

Fast forward to this school year, our esports program grew to become an official varsity program and our brand new esports lounge had opened up in February. This was an astounding milestone and achievement for everyone involved. Our program director, David Gugliotti has so much passion and has done an incredible job fostering the community on our campus. Every varsity team had photoshoots, jerseys, and our program is even sponsored by two leading companies in the industry. I felt like I was on the level of being on the football team.

What many people don’t know is that being part of a competitive esports team can be as time draining as being part of a sports team can. I’ll break down what my daily schedule has looked like during our College CoD League regular season.

8:00 - Wake up

8:15 - Shower

8:30 - Get dressed and eat breakfast

9:30 - Leave for class

10-12 - Class

12-2 - Other class

2:00 - Walk home

2:15 - Work on homework/relax

4:00 - Eat

6:00 - Warm up

7-9: Practice/Scrimmage other schools

9:00 - Eat

10:00 - Sleep

College CoD League 2020 Logo

That is the agenda for a basic day, that doesn’t include club meetings, work, or spending time with my roommates. Weeknights are taxing as we have two matches a week and spend the other nights practicing for. Thanks to our esports lounge, practice became much easier as the facility is located at the heart of campus. Practicing in person holds so many benefits. One of which is building chemistry with your teammates. I actually believe that hanging out with my teammates in real life has helped our team on many levels. Vibes, communication, confidence to name a few.

Fast forward to now…our 2020 regular season has finished and we hold a 12-5 record going into playoffs on May 1st. We’re improving two playoff spots higher than our finish last season which is great. The season had its ups and downs. Great wins, tough losses. Either outcome doesn’t affect me too much because I love being a competitor. The chance to wake up tomorrow and get better.

We are practicing every weekday and when we’re not practicing we’re competing in tournaments or playing Warzone, Call of Duty’s newest Battle Royale. I treat it like it’s a job. I was never amazing at sports growing up. Never was a singer or dancer. I was always good at video games. Being fortunate enough to compete for prize money at the esport I’m best at is a blessing. It’s my senior year, and I am giving it my all into this playoff run next month.

Blog

My Life as a Collegiate Esports Player