Competitive electronic sports have increased in popularity nationwide, including at Liberty. Electronic sports (e-sports) are played with game controllers and are visualized with a computer or TV screen. Liberty’s e-sports team plays competitive games such as Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros and Rocket League.
Many students are passionate about video games, and Liberty recognized the potential benefits of formalizing this interest into an e-sports team.
Archer Wolf (he/ him) 10, is a part of the team at Liberty.
“E-sports needs to be looked at in a good way, because it is a great place to meet new people and play video games with your friends on a competitive level”, said Wolf.
Guidance counselor Troy Bergmann (he/ him) is Liberty’s e-sports coach. He established the e-sports team in the winter of 2023, starting with the game Rocket League.
The team has three seasons: fall with Super Smash Bros, winter with Rocket League and spring with Mario Kart. There are up to 20 members participating in each season.
“Studies show that students that are involved in school activities do well if they feel a connection to the school, [making] students perform better,” says Bergmann.
Though e-sports may seem like a form of pure entertainment rather than an actual “sport,” they have a wide number of benefits.
According to the Iowa Department of Education, playing on an e-sports team can improve communication, collaboration and problem-solving skills. It can also help students build technology skills and awareness, all of which are skills needed in aspects of life.
“I joined Liberty’s e-sports team so I could make new friends and play video games on a competitive level with my team,” said Wolf.
Though e-sports are fairly new to Liberty, students are able to earn scholarships through the team for college.
“I heard that e-sports were growing at colleges and universities, but I didn’t realize the amount of scholarships that are available. We needed that to be an opportunity for our students,” said Bergmann.
Liberty High School’s e-sports team has proven to give students room to grow in numerous ways. Adapting to the world around us is how students thrive, and Liberty’s e-sports team is proof of that
