The eSports Association club at Oswego State is participating in an online contest to win a place in a regional collegiate “Overwatch” tournament, an online competitive video game.

“Our thing is competitive gaming. We compete with other schools,” said Brian Richardson, events coordinator at eSports Association.

In recent years, competitive gaming, often called esports, has risen in prominence to mainstream appeal. This includes colleges forming esports teams. According to Gamedesigning.org, seven schools had varsity esports teams by the 2016 academic year, with that number growing to 68 collegiate esports teams by 2018.

Earning a spot in this regional tournament could help Oswego join those schools in the emerging arena of esports, Richardson said.

“We get voted in, and the top 16 teams with the most votes get to participate in the tournament,” Richardson said. “We want to make it because it will make our club and this school a big deal.”

The tournament, New York Excelsior Spring Rally, is an event where collegiate esports clubs in New York, New Jersey and some of northern Pennsylvania compete for online votes for a place in an “Overwatch” tournament.

“Overwatch” is an online competitive video game released in 2016 by game company Blizzard Entertainment. It is a team-based game in the first-person shooter genre with teamwork elements similar to online arena games, such as “Dota 2” and “League of Legends.” Players form two teams of six and select from about 30 unique characters to accomplish objectives in the game and score points. Each character has individual abilities and role on the team, making teamwork and team composition another layer on top of the ability of each player.

“A lot of it is counter-picking,” Richardson said. “A lot of people can be skilled in different heroes because you don’t just have to be good at shooting, which is not my expertise. I’m very much a tank player, a strategist. I can be good at this game without being good at first-person shooters.”

New York Excelsior is the regional team in the Overwatch League, a professional esports league produced by Blizzard Entertainment. The league includes other city-based and international teams, such as the Philadelphia Fusion, London Spitfire, Washington Justice, Seoul Dynasty, Atlanta Reign, Toronto Defiant, Dallas Fuel and Shanghai Dragons. The 20 teams in the league compete for a 2019 prize pool of $5 million.

The New York Excelsior Spring Rally event could have a prize pool totaling $10,000, depending on the number of votes submitted during the event. Oswego’s eSports Association has received over 220 votes as of March 13.

“This is a big deal, not just for the club, not just for the players, but for the school. It puts us on the map against other massive esports team,” Richardson said. “Support your school like you support any other sport.”