Screens lit up with Call of Duty, League of Legends, Splatoon, Minecraft, and Roblox at LBCC’s Esports Lab, with members of the team practicing for upcoming tournaments in their favorite games.
“The actual esports players and students in the program move things forward and take initiative on their own rather than waiting to be told to do something,” said League of Legends player Correy Rodwell.
Esports is an environment for students to express themselves and show off their skills, with new teams being formed as new games release.
“Our Call of Duty team was the result of a student instead of teachers and staff, so the staff accommodated them,” Rodwell said.
The lab is Southern California’s largest esports lab, which cost $2.3 million with over 40 Alienware gaming stations, including chairs and headsets.
“As long as you want to be here, they’ll want you here too. Showing up is a big thing in the esports world,” Call of Duty player Daniel Ouk said.
The lab is open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. to all students, whether they’re on the esports team or not.
“I tried out after seeing a flyer, and so I tried out, and they picked me up and we’ve gotten this far now,” said Call of Duty player Victor Meja.
The esports team has players for more family-friendly games like Super Smash Bros and Rocket League team.
“When playing Super Smash Bros, pick a character that resonates with you, “ said Logan Martin, Super Smash Bros enthusiast.
The LBCC esports team also hosts tournaments with local high schools and other college esports programs.
The most recent Grim Cup was celebrated on Saturday, Oct 11, at 9 a.m., and they displayed a League of Legends tournament in which CSUF resulted the winners at Long Beach City College’s Esports Lab.
