ALL GAME, ALL SEASON

There is a new club in town! The E-Sports club will take place every Wednesday in block five, on the second floor. This club is dedicated and centralized around the most prevalent game in China called 王者荣耀 (or simply referred to as wang-zhe in English). E-Sports is classified as a virtual competitive platform where users work against or together in an organized manner. Organizations usually host tournaments, events, and competitions between professional players and teams. Professional gamers are recruited as a team by gaming associations or clubs to compete in tournaments. The most common genre of video games in global tournaments are Multi-player Online Battle Arena (MOBA), First person shooter (FPS), and real-time strategy (RTS). For example, one of the most anticipated tournaments among gamers is the annual League of Legends (MOBA) World Championships. To further empathize the popularity of E-Sports, it had drawn more than 258 million viewers globally in 2017, whereas the National Football League (NFL) had 204 million viewers. 

Within this club, players are not only focusing on the game-play, but other aspects encompassing the gaming angle of E-Sports as well. The E-Sports club also hopes to teach about the business side of the industry, including employment concerns such as referees, streamers, live broadcasters, and instructors. This club at AISG will be focusing on the level of game-play, new techniques, teamwork, and leadership.

As countless of kids enjoy playing games in today’s generation, it is surely a great club where you could have fun and learn more about professional gaming. So in this club, it will allow students to learn new things that might help them in the future about a subject that they are passionate about. Here is an exclusive interview with the coordinator of the E sports club, Patrick Chen. A sophomore this year at AISG, it was hes first time starting a club. When asked what made you want to start this club? He said that “I was inspired to start this club because of my friend who encouraged me. E sports has been a gaining popularity among young people over the past decade. I feel like E sports is more than just video game. Many schools in the US are starting to add E sports in their curriculum.”  He wanted to make AISG as the leading international schools in China to start this club. He also said that the E sports club can also provide students a variety of opportunities, and are able to nurture growth and give experiences applicable to the E sports industry and many other fields. But will this club be sustainable? I asked him about the future of E sports. How do you think the E sports industry will be like in the future, will it be even more popular than it is now? “I think E sports will have a bright future. Although E sports do not engage in any “physical activities”, the mind and strategy is crucial. The mental game is really what makes E sports so attractive to the youths.” Patrick thinks that this is only the start of E sports. With further technological advancements of video games he believes that E sport is just on the rise.

And here it is ladies and gentlemen, if you are interested in online gaming, be sure to come drop by at Mrs. Zhang’s room on the second floor!