Game on: Pueblo esports teams provide fun competition, career opportunities to students

One of the fastest-growing forms of sports entertainment in the world is making its mark on Pueblo.

Esports — short for electronic sports, in which participants go head-to-head in intensely competitive video games — are becoming increasingly popular in Pueblo and a few local high schools have already launched their own competitive teams.

The biggest esports team in town, however, is at Pueblo Community College, which has had a competitive esports team for several years and continues to grow its program, according to the college’s esports coordinator Andrew Nunn.

Much like more traditional sports, esports match two teams or individuals to test their skills and see who comes out on top.

The main difference is that with esports, the field of play is digital.

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Concepts that apply to athletes in most traditional sports — like the need for practice, work ethic and strategy — apply as much to esports as any other.

At PCC, Nunn says the Panthers teams practice just like every other competitive sports team.

“They even run laps around here for conditioning, since they do most of their work sitting down,” Nunn said.

In a typical practice, the Panthers run through a quick workout and then hit the computers as athletes in other sports would a weight room.

They practice techniques and strategies to outwit their opponents on a battlefield, just like a football player prepares for a matchup on the gridiron or a basketball player on the court.

Esports teams like PCC’s compete with other schools and each season ends with a playoff tournament and championship.

While there are countless similarities between esports and more traditional sports, Nunn said there’s more untapped potential in the world of esports than most people understand.

Esports is a billion-dollar industry that stands to grow faster than any other sport in history, mainly because viewership is easily accessible, and most fans are members of the gaming community.

So while many people may see video games as a hobby or a simple way to pass time, participation in esports can provide much more than that, Nunn said.

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The experience can and does encourage players, particularly students like those at PCC, to explore their options within the esports realm.

“Say a student comes into the program, likes to play video games, and is asked, ‘Do you ever wonder how it's made?’ Boom. Now you got them thinking about graphic design or game design,” Nunn said.

“We have students that work on network setups and have even set up and established all the independent networks for the esports program on campus.”

Nunn said PCC students in other fields of study also stand to benefit from engaging with the school’s esports program.

“Let's say, for example, a young student who is thinking about going into broadcasting or media — they can help stream the games and competitions, even commentate on them as well for the fans,” Nunn said.

Other potential esports career fields include game and graphic design jobs, information technology and security, and even public relations and event planning.

Nunn said with the possibilities in the burgeoning esports world, it’s important to highlight those options for local high school kids.

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Nunn currently works at Pueblo Centennial and has a connection with PCC and Centennial which allows them to use some of the equipment from the college at the high school.

Pueblo East has an esports program, but it's still in its early stages. Nunn’s goal is to get an esports program in each Pueblo high school as soon as possible to enable students to get a head start on some of the college courses they’ll need if they seek to enter the esports field.

“It’s a way of getting experience in different areas while still being involved with something you love: video games,” Nunn said.

Christopher Abdelmalek is a sports reporter for the Pueblo Chieftain and can be reached at cabdelmalek@gannett.com or on Twitter: @chowebacca

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo esports teams provide competition, career opportunities