Nestled among towering oak trees and lush green vegetation, it might seem that Trinity Valley Community College is a peaceful place with little going on. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
Many new programs and developments are being nurtured into existence as Trinity Valley grows and changes to accommodate the needs of the students of today, folding in the most relevant and exciting cutting-edge technologies.
One such program is the brand new TVCC eSports program. But what is eSports, exactly and why does it matter?
Images of adolescent boys staring at blinking screens and clutching a controller might spring immediately to your mind, but this view is completely incorrect. Make no mistake, the world of eSports is as highly organized, competitive, and exciting as any other sport out there. In fact, you might be surprised when you discover what serious gamers actually look like. One only has to browse some of the thousands of walk-throughs and guides on YouTube to discover that there is not just one type of gamer.
Gamers come from all genders, ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds. What sets eSports apart from other competitive sports is the all-encompassing inclusivity it encourages. Effectively, eSports is the great equalizer. Soccer moms can play in the same league as football players, cheerleaders, grandfathers, people with disabilities, and yes, even teen boys. ESports is open to everyone and promotes community between people who might not have come into contact in the past. In short, it is making our world smaller and more exciting!
As of June 30, TVCC eSports was formally accepted into the National Junior College Athletic Association. But the story of how the eSports program came to be is one of time, patience, persistence and intuition.
James Jones came to work at Trinity Valley in 2014 as the student life specialist and Student Government Association advisor. Working alongside our students and being an avid gamer himself gave Jones a unique vantage point. Over time, he began to research eSports and the benefits such a program would bring to TVCC. His thoughts began to materialize as he garnered support for a program he knew would add value to TVCC's student life, engagement and retention.
Not only does eSports create a new landscape for competition, it also opens up new careers. Jones says: "the career paths [eSports] can provide is pretty insane. You can be a pro player, graphic designer, marketer, color commentator, content creator, event planner, coach, web designer, employee of a gaming studio, or analyst, just to name a handful of the [careers] you can pursue. We live in a technological age and it is booming. Why not do something you love and get an education at the same time?"
ESports, like any of its athletic-based brethren, develops and nurtures skillsets in students that can be used throughout their lives. Jones goes on to say "[gaming] has provided [me with] so many tools that I use in my everyday life such as problem solving, patience, determination… when online gaming made its debut, I learned communication, conflict resolution, collaborating with a team, and goal setting. These are all skills students need to learn to be successful in the real world."
However, eSports does have one advantage that other athletics lack: the ability to recruit players from any and all walks of life. Gamers can be and are a very diverse group. There are little to no physical barriers to entering the competitive world of gaming. In short, no other athletic platform has the ability to offer the level of inclusivity that eSports can.
"I have [one] autistic student and [two] female students in my program right now," Jones said. "That is an amazing start for a year one program but I want to smash those barriers down even further.
"I hope to get close to a 50/50 gender ratio in the program because I know females are gaming just as much, but [first] we have to break the toxic environment that they come into. The more people we can educate on being inclusive and normalizing female gamers, the quicker we can eliminate the toxicity.
"I also hope this program is so successful that I can provide equipment for those with disabilities the opportunity to compete. 'Gaming does good' and gaming is for everyone."
When asked about the future of eSports, Jones has this to say: "I want to be able to do charity events with this program. I want to give back to our community and support each other. There are many plans I have and I hope everyone will answer the call when that time arrives. The games will get bigger and the competition will get tougher but everyone will have the opportunity to be involved."
Jones has put tremendous effort and energy into launching TVCC's eSports program, but without the support of leadership, it would not have gotten as far as it has. Jerry King, Ed.D.,president of the college, has been a driving force behind the creation of the eSports program.
"We are tremendously excited about the recent approval by the NJCAA of the TVCC eSports program to start its inaugural season this fall semester under the leadership of Coach James Jones," King said. "The eSports program will boost campus spirit and enthusiasm, improve student engagement and retention, provide greater opportunity for student inclusion in competitive sports, provide new career paths, and develop problem solving, decision-making and strategizing skills for our TVCC students."
It's hard not to get excited about a whole new scene, and eSports is a whole new, rapidly changing and evolving scene. In 2020, Jones made the leap from student life specialist to TVCC's first ever eSports head coach. As excited as Jones is to fill this role, his primary concern is TVCC's most precious resource: its student body. With any new program comes the ability to grow and mentor the next generation. ESports continues this legacy for the college.
