MAGIC To Start Esports Team At MDC
Calling all gamers.
The Magic Animation & Gaming International Complex at Miami Dade College is assembling an esports (electronic sports) team to compete in video gaming.
Approximately 12 gamers will be recruited in June. They are expected to start playing scrimmages and practice in October.
“It’s a way for people to play video games competitively just like how people play sports like basketball or football,” said Nicholas Sarmiento, MDC’s esports marketing coordinator.
Five to six gamers will be active players and the remaining will be alternates. As the team expands to include more games, MAGIC will recruit more players. Members must be full-time MDC students with at least a 2.0 GPA. The team’s coach or its first opponent has not been selected yet.
Among the games they will play is Overwatch, a team-based first-person shooter game. A few other games played at the college level are Valorant, League of Legends and Call of Duty.
Like a regular sports season, the esports season starts in the spring and will last approximately three months. The players will compete in tournaments and playoffs in the hopes of winning championships. Games will be streamed on platforms such as Twitch.
The creation of the team has been in the works for about two years because MAGIC saw a rise in the popularity of esports in collegiate leagues.
According to the National Association of Collegiate Esports, more than 170 United States colleges have varsity esports teams. Some Florida colleges with notable esports teams are Barry University, Florida Southern College and Full Sail University.
“[The esports team will] give me more practice in what we’re doing here at MAGIC,” said Anthony Galvez, who will be an assistant coach for the team, make promotional videos of the players and create a logo. “I want to get faster and better at my craft.”
The esports team will have access to an esports lounge at Wolfson Campus for competitions and practices. Players will meet with the coach two to three hours a day, five days a week, to discuss strategy, watch film to improve their game and work on skills such as reaction time.
“What we’re really going for is to be entertaining,” Galvez said. “That’s what drives people to watch esports. It’s the people and the players rather than the game itself.”
Gamers are not required to be MAGIC students to join the team. However, most students who play video games competitively tend to gravitate toward STEM careers, especially areas like game animation and art.
“My hopes are that the program grows and Miami Dade College becomes a major name in collegiate esports,” Sarmiento said.
To join, click here and fill out the form at the bottom of the page. For more information, contact esports@mdc.edu or (305) 237-3560.
