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GAME ON: BSC Esports



The National Junior College Athletic Association only announced the addition of esports in September, and BSC has already created a state-of-the-art esports lab and established a team of 39 students. And one of them is already climbing the ranks.
 
Fifty-five students from more than 15 schools competed in the Fall Smash Ultimate League. BSC’s Jestin “Deus Vult” Long Feather was the number two seed in Group A and made it to the top 16 playoffs. It’s no wonder Casey Mischel, BSC esports head coach, said he has high expectations for the spring semester.
 
Like any other sport, the team members get together to practice. They currently have four practices each week in their lab, located in the lower level of the Student Union.
 
“The lab is amazing and the students love it. People stop by to ask questions or take pictures all the time, too,” said Mischel. BSC students are currently gearing up to compete in these games: Overwatch played six against six on PC; League of Legends played five on five on PC; Super Smash Bros. Ultimate one against one on Nintendo Switch; and FN Battle Royale on PC.
 
With 39 members, BSC has a sizeable team, but Buster Gillis, BSC athletic director, says an unlimited number of students can join. That’s because, although there are a number of esports games, most students hone in on only one game for competition.

“It's best to look at esports in the sense that competing in four different games is just like playing four different sports. Students will for the most part just be focusing on their main game,” said Mischel.
 
Like other clubs and athletic teams, esports brings students with common interests together. “I believe esports has provided opportunity to campus students to
be part of a team, who otherwise might not have been involved in a sport or activity,” says Gillis.
 
“Gaming in general is popular and collegiate esports opens up a lot of new opportunities that students can explore,” adds Mischel.
 
One of those opportunities is to learn skills that translate to students’ future careers. “Learning the ins and outs of a computer is always helpful. The number of jobs that esports has created in the last few years is extremely high and there are plenty of skills that can translate into other fields, such as security, audio/video, networking, hardware and more.”
 
Mischel wants to counter the negative stigma about esports and gaming in general by helping people understand just how big esports has become and the positive effect it can have on students’ lives. “The global esports market is worth more than $1 billion now and is still growing. The students are adults and they are able to use this as an opportunity to better their careers and futures. Not to mention the friends and other life skills that they will acquire along the way.”
 


Play Esports for BSC!


STEP 1: Apply to BSC – bismarckstate.edu/apply
STEP 2: Fill out the Mystics recruitment form – bscmystics.com/recruits


Follow the team on twitter.com/esports_BSC and twitch.tv/bismarckstate_mystics