The Oglethorpe University esports team at the 2018 Georgia Esports League Championship.
The newly-formed Oglethorpe University esports team took home a podium finish at its first official competition over the weekend.
Participating in the Georgia Esports League Championship, which coincided with the Georgia State University PantherLAN Esports Tournament, Oglethorpe played matches at the Georgia State Sports Arena for in-arena finals on Saturday, October 20. In total,18 teams competed, including squads from GSU, Georgia Gwinnett College, Kennesaw State University, University of Georgia, Georgia Southern University, and the University of West Georgia.
Hosted by the Georgia Game Developers Association, the GEL Championship portion of the event saw teams battling it out to decide the state’s best in games Brawlhalla and SMITE; both Brawlhalla and SMITE are produced by Atlanta-area developers Blue Mammoth Games and Hi-Rez Studios respectively.
The Oglethorpe team competes in both Brawlhalla and SMITE divisions, and captured third place in SMITE at the GEL Championship. Stormy Petrels esports consists of captain Roderick Trujillo, Keon Henderson, Mason Peterson, Jacob Hall, and Bryce McNealey.
The arena for the 2018 Georgia Esports League Championship.
While the team currently participates in the GEL, it also hopes that the Southern Athletic Association will offer esports leagues in the coming years. Trujillo also said the team intends to begin competing in League of Legends divisions as well.
According to the GEL, esports provide benefits beyond game play, including student participation in broadcasting, production, marketing, management and game development, a rapidly growing part of Georgia’s entertainment industry. GEL players have won almost $20,000 in scholarships over the past three years. GEL also combines its tournaments with career fairs to match esports talent with employers.
Rewatch some of the action from the tournament.
Watch Georgia State University – PantherLAN Fall Tournament from GeorgiaStateU on www.twitch.tv
