Governors State University has added a coed Esports team for the 2024-2025 school year, and Coach Kareem Badr was willing to provide insight into both Esports in general and some specifics for the GSU team.
Badr has been involved with college Esports as both a player and a coach for several years. Badr said, “The Esports program at GSU is open to students of all skill levels, and we’re actively recruiting for a wide variety of games. Our goal is to foster a competitive but welcoming environment where students can sharpen their gaming skills, build teamwork, and represent the school in local, regional, and national tournaments.”
For the uninitiated, Esports (short for electronic sports) are video games played in a high-level competitive environment, usually with spectators. Although the term Esports is new, its origins trace back to the 1950s. One of the earliest examples is Tennis For Two, a video game made in 1958.
In 1972, Stanford University held a competition where people were invited to compete against each other in a game called Spacewar. This often is considered the first Esports tournament even if it wasn’t called that at the time; eight years later Space Invaders was held with over 10,000 competitors.
In 2006, the first televised Esports tournament was a game of Halo 2 on the USA Network. The 2019 the Fortnite World Cup had the best gamers competing for a $30 million prize pool. With sites like Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok having grown more popular because of their live-streaming availability, Esports is a billion-dollar industry and will surely continue to grow.
Badr said the players would compete in a wide variety of games in both practice and tournaments, allowing the participants to dip their hands into a diverse set of games.
There are person shooter games like Apex Legends, Valorant, Rocket League, Overwatch 2, R6 Siege, and Call of Duty; fighting games such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Guilty Gear Strive, Street Fighter 6, and Tekken 8; and sports games like NBA 2K, Madden, and EA Sports FC 24.
“I took this role because I believe in the potential of esports to teach students valuable life skills like leadership, strategy, and resilience,” Badr said, “and I’m excited to help build a successful, competitive program here at GSU.
“My hope for the team is to not only win championships, but also to foster a strong sense of community and camaraderie among the players. We want to build a program that students are proud to be a part of and where they can be both as players and individuals.”
Badr said tryouts will start for the Esports team next semester once the Esports arena is completed., Varsity and JV teams will be made for each game respective to the skill level set once tryouts are held. Badr said he would share the exact date once it is set.
Those who have a passion for gaming, love competition, and are interested in Esports should contact Badr be a part of building the Esports team that should become a staple at Governor State.
To contact Coach Kareem Badr [email protected]