In the past two decades, the platform for esports has grown exponentially because of the widespread popularity of the internet and video games. The viewership of professional esports has surpassed that of some of the most popular sports including baseball, soccer, and hockey, and has become a viable career path for many. As a result of this, high school esports clubs, organizations, and tournaments have been appearing across the country. CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) has also formed an esports initiative provided by the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF).
Created on May 18th of 2022, the CHS esports club is one of the fastest growing clubs at CHS with close to 200 members after just 4 months. The club started as a VALORANT club created by Mr. Oberbeck and a small group of players. The team participated in some small tournaments but overall had little success. The club was later taken over by Tyler Lam, the current club president, and transitioned to accommodate a broader range of video games, instead of only VALORANT.
“I hope to grow the club and reach more students in order to provide a safe space where people can find new friends and teammates,” Lam said. “I believe gaming was seen as a waste of time in the past, but now with more professional opportunities and increased attention, playing games can now be a viable job. I believe esports has grown in popularity and will continue growing.”
Last year, the club hosted several events including tryouts for the club’s VALORANT teams and a Super Smash Brothers Ultimate tournament. The Smash tournament, with 31 participants competing for a 70-dollar prize pool, consisted of intense matches leading up to the final round that decided the victor of the tournament. The room was packed with a roaring crowd eager to see the results during the final match.
The club is planning on expanding its platforms to accommodate different video games and seeking out sponsorship opportunities for future tournaments and events. If the club’s growth rate continues, esports may become an extracurricular program the high school offers, similar to band and orchestra.
“I think it has the potential to grow and become something pretty large on campus, but it depends on how everything is run and how it is perceived by the student body,” Oberbeck said. “I realized that it is the identity of a lot of students, but it’s not an opportunity on campus yet, so I just felt like it was something we probably should do.”
The club is currently planning tryouts for a Rocket League, Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, and a League of Legends team to participate in CIF. The tryouts will be open to all players and inexperienced players encouraged to join if interested.
The club is hosting its first Super Smash Bros Ultimate tournament of the year from September 29th to October 11th during lunch in the Multi-Purpose Room. Spectators are allowed to come and watch the matches.The club also encourages interested readers to join the esports club.