Just this past Saturday, the E-Sports Club here at Farrington High School hosted a Super Smash Bros tournament! The event took place in the FHS library from 2 to 8 pm.
At the tournament, there were many players, ranging from middle schoolers to high school,
to even college students! Everyone got to take part in this tournament, including those with little to no experience.
E-Sports club member Quincy Sablan shared his thoughts on this. Sablan is a sophomore at FHS who has been a part of the club for a while. “E-Sports is important to me because it allows me to express and expand my passion for gaming with others. It doesn't matter if people are new or not, our program welcomes everyone with open arms. To me, what matters more importantly is that this program allows me to be surrounded by people who share my passion for gaming and competing. It's been beneficial to me in many ways, and I hope it can benefit other students the same way. The E-Sports program is just an introduction to a growing industry that will help students thrive,” Sablan said.
Despite E-Sports being open to everyone, there are different admission fees. FHS participants are free, whereas competitors from other schools have to pay $5. The same applies to those in the audience, who just come to watch these tournaments take place.
How do these tournaments work? Well, tournaments are organized in a 1v1 format. This means that each participant is put into a bracket based on their skill level: novice, intermediate, proficient, expert. They will then be assigned to compete against a competitor of that same skill level.
Winners will advance to the next round, whereas the losers will have a chance to redeem themselves by competing in another match. Participants have a limit of two losses; once they've exceeded that, they're automatically eliminated from the tournament. The tournament ends when there's one final player left standing.
More importantly, these tournaments happen because of sponsors. The Farrington E-Sports team is sponsored by many different sponsors. SurfCo, UHA Medical Insurance, and Dominos to name a few. These sponsors are responsible for funding and investing in the program, as well as responsible for providing participants with food and snacks during these tournaments.
However, they're not only limited to sponsoring the program. In fact, they can sponsor students as well! What these sponsors are looking for in a student is someone who can demonstrate being well-rounded: smart, talented, and engaged in their community.
What is the purpose of E-Sports? Director of the E-Sports program, Josh Dimaya had something to share about this. “Our program here at Farrington is meant to support students who want to go into this type of field and provide students a safe space to play together. Back then, video games were something that was looked down upon because it was believed that it would never lead us to achieve success in our life. However, we're here to change that. In fact, the change that we seek is already happening as we speak. Our students are living proof of that."