KILGORE, Texas (KLTV) – It takes a different kind of strength to win at this sport. Yes, we’re talking about Esports. Region 7 is holding a tournament featuring over a dozen school districts, as many area school districts have started esports teams.
About 100 players from 10 districts were doing their best to annihilate each other in the world of the video screen. Brownsboro Senior Colten Tidwell started playing video games at six years old.
Tidwell said he never thought that decision would be a factor in helping him go to school.
“I never really thought I’d play video games in school in the first place. But then I never thought it would get me a scholarship to go to college,” Tidwell said.
He and senior Riley Smith are part of the Brownsboro Esports team, The Smashers, and are playing Super Smash Brothers Ultimate. Recently, he visited Trinity Valley Community College with Colten and participated in the tryouts.
“Apparently, I was good enough. They wanted us, gave us a scholarship and I guess that’s where I’m heading now,” Smith said.
Smith said with this scholarship and a couple, more he and Tidwell will receive nearly a full ride to TVCC. They will both be on the TVCC Esports team and take classes to learn computer science, with video game design possibly in their futures.
“It’s not out of the question. And it does seem pretty interesting, especially with the growing community of esports,” Smith said.
While Smith is weighing his options, Tidwell has his eye on one field in particular.
“Going into like the technical work of computers, all the little parts and stuff; putting together and fixing computers,” Tidwell said.
With users like this, things will wear out or need upgrades. But according to Region 7 Director of Digital Learning Elizabeth Walker, gaming can lead to other careers that may not immediately be as obvious.
“We also have students who are following this even into things like health care, because there are opportunities for people in the health care industry to specialize in esports training,” Walker said.
Winning is pretty much the meaning of the tournament, but win or lose here, the point in these students’ lives is to move on to the next level.
Last fall, Region 7 held a smaller Esports tournament as an experiment, and the reaction led to the two-day tournament they’re holding now. Region 7’s plan is to begin holding two competitions a year. They are working to include an academic component to qualify for the tournaments.
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