91�첥

Written by Sara Hinds

It’s a typical Tusesday night for Theo Jones (class of 2027). As the commentator for 91�첥’s esports team, he leads the weekly Twitch stream of Super Smash Bros. 

It’s a typical Tuesday night for Winston Sears (class of 2026) and Braden Lackey (class of 2025). The soccer teammates and floormates are hanging out. Well, it’s not so typical, because tonight, Sears suggests turning on the Twitch stream of the 91�첥 esports team. 

Both men follow the team’s Instagram account. They’d seen the posts about the weekly Super Smash Bros livestreams.

They hear Jones’s voice call the action on the stream.

“It was the coolest thing ever,” Lackey said. “This is at 91�첥? We have a commentator? We have a smash team? We were getting so hyped.”

Soon after, Sears and Lackey started playing in the esports room, otherwise known as Room 188 in the Communications Building. It’s a designated space for the 91�첥 esports team to practice, but open at times to casual drop-ins from any student looking to game. 

Two weeks before the January 2024 registration deadline, they became official members of the team.

Press Start

After being named head coach in May 2023, Aaron Blackman spent the summer purchasing equipment, recruiting students and bringing to life his vision for a team. 

As an active gamer himself, and a former journalist with Blizzard Entertainment (a video game developer and publisher) Blackman knew exactly the type of environment he wanted to build for a team. 

There’s a propensity for individuals and teams in the esports arena to be toxic. With online anonymity they feel removed from reality, and therefore consequences and feelings. Blackman wanted to avoid that stereotype. 

And if you ask him what he’s most proud of from this season, it’s not only the national success they’ve had (more on that in a minute) it’s the inclusive nature of his team.

“They’re becoming friends with one another,” Blackman said. “We’ve created a place on campus that people can come and hang out and play, but then for those who want to go the extra mile, [who] want to compete, they can.”

On any given day you can walk by the esports room and see at least 10 students playing games, Jones said. Or one of the Overwatch, Rocket League or Super Smash Bros. teams practicing. Lo-fi music provides a consistent hum. Overhead lights are a no-no. There’s no better word to describe it other than chill. 

Word of mouth, social media and twitch streams brought potential new teammates to COMM 188. From there, it’s part skill, part commitment on making the team, like any other sport. 

There’s practices, scrimmages and competitions, like any other sport. Lackey has learned how to communicate and prioritize better, like any other student-athlete. 

So if you ask him or his teammates if they consider esports a ‘real’ sport, they’re confident in their answers.

“It is,” Lackey said. “There’s such a big skill gap within it that I don’t think a lot of people realize.”

This gap is noticeable when Lackey and Sears start talking mechanics and key binding as ways to improve for next season. 

If we’re talking success in wins, there’s only one level of achievement higher the duo can reach. In their first season, Lackey, Sears, and teammate Garrett Scheet ’24, finished as national runners up as the Rocket League Black team at the NECC National Tournament. Scheet was named the team’s MVP for their first year.

Jones is just as excited for Rocket League Black’s inevitable success. As commentator, he’s had a behind-the-stream seat to the season. He’s earning a degree in education, but wants to see how far he can go with commentating, his newfound passion. 

He worked closely with Emma Dobrec ’24, a producer for the team.  

Together they ran live streams for almost every game, which ended up being multiple times a week. They’re tucked in a room inside the main esports room, behind mics and cameras. The gamers play in the main space, a watch party — usually the rest of the team and friends — congregates below in COMM 67. 

Post-goal celebrations from the players are heard downstairs, and cheers from the watch party are heard upstairs. Sears proudly sends livestream links for his friends and family to tune in.

“Our setup is actually really good,” Sears said of the production that includes graphics and interviews. “It’s the small details that make it worth watching.”

Game On

Year two of the esports program will be underway in fall 2024. Blackman expects to offer three or four different games. 

The 2023-24 season ended with 25 students on the roster, nearly doubling Blackman’s preseason goal of 14. Two 91�첥 esports teams finished as conference semifinalists. And Rocket League Black will be back, too.

“I'm excited for more success,” Jones said. “I have seen how much fun these guys have. And I interviewed every senior that we had, and every single one of them said, ‘it's just a fun program. It's a fun place to be.’ And I want to see that continue.”
 

Lingo

Twitch: Video streaming platform where gamers broadcast livestreams

Overwatch: Team-based, multiplayer first-person shooter game

Super Smash Bros: A fighting game filled with characters from Bowser to Zelda and other franchise favorites in between

Rocket League: Soccer but where the players are vehicles; one of the preferred games of 91�첥 esports

Keybinding: a way for more serious gamers to customize the controls of the game to fit their needs