ESPORTS WHAT IS ESPORTS? LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ESPORTS PROGRAM
FINDING HER ‘CLICK’
HOW ESPORTS BOOSTED THE CONFIDENCE (AND GPA) OF THIS STUDENT
THE GAMES WE PLAY CHECK OUT OUR COMPETITIVE AND INTRAMURAL ESPORTS
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Kalena Rangel (Overwatch Team)
FINDING HER ‘CLICK’
BEYOND THE SPORT: KALENA RANGEL
A
s a child, Kalena Rangel was always quiet and
reserved. She constantly struggled to navigate social interactions and find the courage to share her thoughts. But gaming was her escape. It gave her an outlet and would eventually become the exact thing that built her confidence. With a long-time interest in gaming, Kalena joined the Fresno State esports team as an Overwatch player and was unsure of what to expect. Since then, Kalena has grown with the team, sharpening her skills, finding her voice and coming into her own. “Being a leader now is a little scary, because, before this semester, I've always been in the back of the team,” she admits. “But it's been fun, and I've been going out of my bubble too.”
According to former Head Coach Josh Tolbert, Kalena has “come out of her shell quite a bit” in the last year and continues to make significant strides.
“She's come such a long way in her personal journey with this team, with her academics. She got a 4.0 last semester. She is hitting it out of the park.” CHARTING A NEW PATH Although Kalena has always had an interest in esports, she wasn’t always sure about her career. As a freshman, Kalena originally planned to pursue nursing but switched majors several times before deciding on biomedical physics. She credits the esports team as her biggest motivation in solidifying her degree path. Through the esports program, Kalena has improved her time management, critical thinking and communication skills. The challenge of balancing athletics and academics has helped her grow as a student, bringing her to new heights and keeping her on track for graduation.
Photos by Cary Edmondson, Story by Victoria Cisneros — University Brand Strategy and Marketing
“The esports program has made me feel motivated to keep doing my classes. It's made me boost my GPA, and it's making get ready for life after graduation.” With a degree that combines health care, science and mathematics, Kalena plans to become a radiation therapist. She knows that the interpersonal skills she’s learning as a student-athlete will help fuel her future success.
“With going to the medical field, I'd be interacting with patients, And if I didn't establish these, at least better, communication skills than I would've originally had, it'd be really hard to talk to people outside of college.”
“Esports has definitely made me feel like I belong here at school,” Kalena says.
“Because now I'm surrounded by people that have the same interests and likes as me. And I hope that future students will understand that and feel the same as well.”
For Kalena, esports has opened up more doors than she ever thought possible. She hopes the program will do the same for future students and that they, too, will find the courage to walk through them.
“The program here has definitely helped me realize I can do anything that I want to do. And with the college continuing to keep this up, it'll give a lot of students that were like me, that had no idea what to do, a motivation to keep going to school and doing better.”
FOR ELITE AND CASUAL GAMERS ALIKE.
ABOUT US
Fresno State Esports officially launched February 2020 with the creation of two varsity teams, League of Legends and Overwatch. Formed through a partnership between the Student Involvement, Student Recreation Center and Fresno State Athletics with the support of the Office of the President, our program provides leadership, growth and networking opportunities for gamers of all levels.
OUR VISION
Our goal is not only to compete at a national and international level against other colleges, but also to provide outreach opportunities to help foster a passion for esports and gaming in our community through inclusion and providing a model for sportsmanship and leadership development.
WHAT GAMES DO WE PLAY?
@fresnostatees
Intramural Tournaments & Involvement Opportunities ABOUT INTRAMURAL ESPORTS
As an extension to the varsity esports program, Fresno State also launched an intramural esports program for console-based gaming that is open to all students. An intramural gaming room has been added to the Student Recreation Center with six gaming stations, each outfitted with a Nintendo Switch and a PlayStation 4, and two of those stations include virtual reality headsets and an assortment of games. Biweekly tournaments are hosted for games such as
HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED? Whether you like to generate excitement and hype as a shoutcaster, working behind the scenes during live events, creating graphics, editing and creating videos, or even playing some of your favorite games as a part of a team, our program has something for just about everyone. Apply for any of the open positions by emailing esports@csufresno.edu with a resume, cover letter and three professional references.
@fresnostate_intramurals
WHAT IS ESPORTS? JACOB JOEL GUTIÉRREZ
P
ut simply, esports are electronic sports. Organized
competitive gaming events in various leagues with teams and players battling it out for victory. The very best players are essentially competing to become the best in the world at their favorite game. Esports is a continually growing industry. In 2017, had an estimated worldwide revenue of around $565 million. Various streamers and gamers have been able to win thousands after going professional and winning tournaments. A simplier, and funny, way of showing how popular esports has become in recent years can be seen with a Google search for the phrase "lol". It no longer shows you a definition for the acronym (laughing out loud) but rather, it returns a long list of results related to hit game League of Legends.
ISN’T ESPORTS JUST FOR NERDS ? Well, first off, ouch.
Secondly, there's been a stigma around esports and that's changing too. The stigma is that gamers are unkept and unsociable people who prefer to spend their time in a basement rather than focusing on academics and the future. This couldn’t be further from the truth. At Fresno State, we aim to create an atmosphere where not only can students share their passion and hobby of competitive gaming but also encourage each other to be more confident, sociable and ready for life after graduation with the help of our coaches. Coaches know their game inside and out and use that knowledge to foster a community for growth and development. Even if you prefer to play casually from time to time, our program is for just about anyone and everyone regardless of experience and skill level. It’s all about having fun.
Jacob Joel Gutiérrez is a graphic designer, photo editor, social media curator, and copywriter majoring in Mass Communication and Journalism, with an emphasis in Advertising. He is currently the graphic designer for the Fresno State esports program.
Gutiérrez was the main promotional designer and publicist for the Blue Shell Gaming Arena at Fresno State’s 48th annual Vintage Days festival. Photo by California State University - Fresno
CALL TO ACTION JERRY GÓMEZ
F
resno State esports has brought the spotlight to student
gamers that they otherwise would not receive. Our student-athletes have invested a tremendous amount of time and effort to compete at the highest level in collegiate esports. They place special emphasis on the esport they play through attending practice, training on their personal time, balancing other life duties, and performing well in their academics. Our coaches are excellent at instructing the mechanics and skills needed to increase player ranking and play at a higher level. As the coordinator, what I value most about our varsity coaches is that they teach our players the true value of teamwork and all the virtues of a successful and positive team environment. Through esports and the team dynamic, our players learn communication skills, leadership skills, and how to socialize with others. One of the most important things players gain is confidence. This confidence spills over to other aspects of their life and shows them they can excel in anything they set their mind to.
Traditionally, there are a lot of negative stigmas surrounding esports and gaming in general, but our players have demonstrated why programs like ours are impacting students in holistic ways. Esports programs are preparing students for the real world after college. There are high-paying careers related to esports, such as streaming, shoutcasting, video game development, professional esports players, and entrepreneurship. The possibilities are endless!
As the program coordinator, my role is to help the program grow and develop other areas Fresno State can get involved in. Another thing I am responsible for and committed to is teaching our administration, the Fresno State community, and other parents/guardians about the positive aspects of esports. Kalena’s story is one of the many stories we have presenced since the unveiling of the Fresno State Esports program.
As a program, we have tried multiple ways to connect and educate our non-esports fans. In November we hosted our first Esports Fest at the River Park shopping center.
It was an action-packed event that demonstrated how powerful esports is through exhibition competitions, live-shoutcasting, streaming, and all other pop-culture memorabilia.
Photo by Jacob Joel Gutiérrez & Jerry Gomez
During the most recent edition of Vintage Days, we facilitated the Blue Shell Gaming Arena. This three-day exposition was something the campus and Vintage Days participants have never seen before.
This event gave them the opportunity to explore the potential of all areas surrounding the esports world. We want to continue to build pathways between our program, other educational institutions, and other community members.
As someone who is passionate about empowering our youth and Fresno State students, I urge you and challenge to look at the positive ways esports is influencing the students involved in the program. Our number one goal is to build a sense of community and belonging for all students, and I can gladly say our program is a home for students who identify with gaming.
Gerardo “Jerry” Gómez is the Coordinator of Off-Campus Student Life and Innovation at the Student Involvement Center. He also coordinates and helped developed is the varsity esports program. Jerry is originally from Hanford, CA and has been involved with multiple programs on campus including the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), and the Learning Center - SupportNet Academic Coaching. Gómez is a two-time alumni from Fresno State with a bachelor’s in Mass Communications and Journalism with an emphasis in Broadcast Journalism and a master’s in Student Affairs and College Counseling. He is known for his energetic and outgoing personality, which is one of the many ways he impacts people around him. You might be able to find him at the many events held at Fresno State. He also is a soccer fanatic who plays FIFA and enjoys all aspects of fitness.
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“THE ESPORTS PROGRAM HAS MADE ME FEEL MOTIVATED . . . IT'S MADE ME BOOST MY GPA, AND IT'S MAKING GET READY FOR LIFE AFTER GRADUATION.” Kalena Rangel
@fresnostatees