Cameron University’s Esports Program Builds Teamwork and Collaboration Skills

Sports are more than just physical in today’s ever-changing world. With the popularity of video games and the growth of the internet, students have a new sport and do not have to leave their home state to compete nationally.

Esports, or electronic sports, have entered the sports scene, bringing video games and competition to a whole new level. High schools, colleges and universities are creating their own esports teams and competing with other teams.

Cameron University is one of those schools. Cameron students are skilled in games like Overwatch 2, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Valorant. The Cameron University Pickaxes compete against other universities in hopes of winning prizes or scholarships.

“When a digital media manager position opened that would also be an esports coach, I thought it would be super fun, and it’s been a blast ever since 2019,” John Cunningham, esports coach and digital media manager, said. “The team was supposed to be just 12 players… but the day I opened positions on the team, 60 people emailed about try-outs.”

Choosing the Team

According to Cunningham, the requirements for try-outs are very lenient. Students just need the passion to train and the drive to win.

“I hope to bring everyone on board, even if they are not very skilled,” Cunningham said. Students can learn from other students as they play together.

“We had a student that came in and was playing Smash his first year of college. He was losing all the time. By the time he was in senior year, he won a first-place trophy for us because he got better,” Cunningham said.

Building Teamwork and Collaboration

Students and esports team members enjoy the competitive atmosphere and the teamwork that goes with competing for the Pickaxes.

“I always liked competitive sports, but I wasn’t very good at physical ones. Having an outlet for my competitive nature with a different hobby that I like is really fun for me,” Sarah Monk, Pickaxe team member, said.

Playing together brings team members closer together, and it builds collaboration skills with other people in a healthy and professional matter.

“Many of our students are introverts. They may not have brothers and sisters, so they play at home by themselves,” Cunningham said. “Coming to the arena and playing with the other students brings them out of their shells.”

“I’ve liked this esports team a lot. I’ve made great friends here that I hopefully will know for the rest of my life,” Matthew Hasley, Pickaxe team member, said.

Another Pickaxe team member, Wyatt McClure, has been in the esports scene since he was in high school. He has experience playing Overwatch competitively.

“I like the game aspect, but I also like the strategies and the teamwork,” McClure said.

Teamwork is important to the future of Cameron’s esports team for Pickaxe team member Frank Santos.

“We are going on two national competitions and an Activision sponsored one. We have more people, more competitions. We’re all getting more settled in and getting used to each other—getting better as a team. For me, it looks like it’s all going up,” Santos said.

High-Speed Connectivity Vital to Game Play

For competition, it is vital to have connectivity that matches the speed of game play and competitors’ fast reactions. That’s where OneNet helps by providing high-speed internet connectivity to enable students to play using their full potential with no limits.

“Lagging has happened a few times to our opponents this year, but it hasn’t happened to us yet,” Jonesy Baskett, Pickaxe team member, said. “We are wired in through to the internet, and that is very important, so we don’t lag or it will delay the game for everybody.”

Latency issues are a big game-changing risk for esports players. One second of lag, or slowness, can affect your game and the opponent could really steal your win in a split second.

OneNet provides a 1G circuit dedicated to Cameron’s esports arena. With 1G they also are able to stream their tournaments in the arena’s lobby area and on Twitch, a live-streaming platform for broadcasting videos.

“OneNet recognizes the value of esports for our state’s students. Not only is the competition fun, but it teaches teamwork and builds lasting relationships for students,” Brian Burkhart, OneNet’s chief technology officer, said. “We strive to provide the high-speed connectivity to support students’ competitions, training, and journey to success as they play their favorite games with students from other schools, regardless of where they are located.”

Read about Cameron University’s participation in the OneOklahoma Friction Free Network.