Escalante expounds esports
Ranked eighteenth in the nation and currently holding an 8–2 record, the SCAD Overwatch team is poised for success in the 2021 Overwatch Collegiate Championships. “Our students are competing at the highest level and only getting better,” says SCAD director of esports Ian Escalante.
The world of competitive video gaming continues to boom at the collegiate level. The Overwatch Collegiate Championships — sponsored and held by Activision, the producer of Overwatch — pit a stunning 1024 teams in its seven-week tournament last year. This year, teams participate in ten rounds of games with each match being a best-of-three. Previous rankings have no impact on match pairings. “It is extremely tough to win and there aren’t small wins along the way,” Escalante says. “You either win the whole thing, or you go home.”
After ten games, the Bees have now officially made the single elimination playoff round. “Our team has won some big matches so far this year,” Escalante says, including defeats of notable opponents University of Delaware and University of Southern California. “We are really looking good as the tournament progresses.”
Escalante was named director of SCAD esports in July 2018 and has worked to establish a force to be reckoned with. “SCAD had a significant presence in the gaming community when I got here. The students who made up our first varsity teams were already playing at a highly competitive level. Currently, we award scholarships for our two varsity teams, League of Legends and Overwatch. Our athletes practice every day and I have instituted calisthenics workouts outside of normal training.”
Aerobic exercise and routine practice schedules might seem superfluous for individuals whose playing field is viewed through a screen, but Escalante sees his team as athletes. “Esports are sedentary in nature. Therefore, we have put in place a regimen focused on their mental and physical health outside of the arena.”
Escalante has also implemented a robust recruiting strategy to strengthen the team. “Having the right talent is essential regardless of the sport. At SCAD, we are looking for excellent players that fit our system. We want students who want to develop outside of the game, and grow as individuals.”
The 2020–2021 SCAD esports recruiting class incudes highly ranked newcomers Jude Dahdough (B.F.A., interactive design and game development), Matthew Kilmartin (B.F.A., interactive design and game development), and Javier Sauce Diaz (B.F.A., industrial design). Also featured in the Overwatch starting six are Wilson McGuirt (B.F.A., interactive design and game development), Jae Teska (B.F.A., graphic design), and Avery Oliver (B.F.A., illustration). The additional players on the SCAD Overwatch roster (who Escalate deems “a big part of our success”) are Riley DelVasto (B.F.A., architecture), Emily Odenwald (B.F.A., illustration), and Christina Wright (B.F.A., illustration).
While the COVID-19 shutdown prevented players from practicing together in-person, they continued to hone their skills. Escalante’s admiration is unwavering: “They’re all almost professional players, and this game means so much to them. They played every day, and participated in tournaments on their own. Now that we are back, they’re rocking.”
Written by Robert Almand
