ESports is a growing industry. It is expected to top one billion dollars and now RV has joined the phenomenon. As of this week, the Rocket League try-outs have finished. 

 The RVHS Rocket League team has offered sport and career opportunities to those kids that never really found a spot in “Traditional Sports.” Senior Steve Misiti, a member of the Rocket League Team, had this to say: “It’s very cool to see ESports becoming a thing in high school and allowing kids to play video games and have a backing from the school.” Misiti is also excited for the opportunities it can open up for him. “I know that some colleges also offer scholarships for ESports and to have a chance to get into college by playing games, which is a hobby of mine. It is awesome and really excites me and motivates me to do good in the tryouts to make varsity.” 

Jack Burkhalter, a full-time streamer and content creator director for Artemis Gaming in ESports, is excited about all the possibilities that high school ESports offers. “I think it’s an incredible thing, as we move into 2020 and as it becomes more and more prevalent, [ESports] should be at all levels. It should be at high school, there should be collegiate teams, which there already are a lot of them and there should be a form of leagues and avenues for even kids to get started as it becomes a bigger and bigger industry. I think it’s incredible.” Burkhalter is also very excited to see the change from when he was in high school and see it grow. “There wasn’t as bright of a future back when I was in high school as there is now. Now there’s so many possibilities. Even if you’re not necessarily a player, even if you’re on a support staff or working for an organization recruiting stuff like that there are so many possibilities that are just playing video games and playing ESports that I think that any team at the high school level is a good thing.” 

The Rocket League tryouts concluded Thursday, February 6, with Ms. Lyons and Mr. Sutton overseeing them. Ms. Lyons said, “It took two rounds to collect enough data to divide teams. The first round was a 1v1 and the second was a 3v3, so we could determine skill and how well students perform in teams.” The tryouts were packed full of talent causing Ms. Lyons to find it hard to spot high-level players. “We did observe different levels of players, but every athlete had their own unique ability and purpose which was cool to see.” 

The team’s first scrimmage was on Thursday, February 6, where they won 3-0. The Team has another team scrimage coming up on Thursday, February 13.