Game on

Campbellsville University’s Esports team provides an opportunity for student gamers to play the games they love, meet new people and earn scholarship money. While not being too much of a time consumer, the students participating in this program practice dedication and work ethic through practice as they grow as players and people.

“Not everybody on the Esports teams are super good… but it’s a very supportive environment that is just oriented on growth and acceptance,” said Zachary Brady, a senior who is double majoring in music and education.

Brady said he decided to join the team because he was going to be gaming anyway, and he would have a scheduled block schedule when he could sit down to play games and meet new people.

“I enjoy being able to share my passion with other people,” he said.

CJ Moritz is the head coach of the Esports team. Originally from New Jersey, Moritz graduated from Asbury University and has a background as a swim coach. After graduating from Asbury, Moritz came to Campbellsville as a graduate assistant for the swim team and became a full-time assistant coach with the team after getting his master’s degree. In 2019, Moritz became the head coach of the Campbellsville Esports program.

Moritz wears the hats of both coach and director. His coaching role involves the everyday aspects of organizing practices and scrimmages, making sure the team is there on time, ensuring the arena equipment is up to date, and most importantly, making sure necessary updates have been applied to the games. The director role entails recruiting, making sure the program’s dues are paid and being aware of rule changes.

“One thing that I love about Esports is that the majority of the time there’s always a scene out there, and the scene meaning a conference or a league…” said Moritz. “My favorite part of the job is just hanging out with everybody on the team, getting to know the student-athletes.”

One of Moritz’s new gamers is freshman Matthias Sheppard.

“I didn’t expect it to be such a team building experience,” said Sheppard.

According to Sheppard, the Esports program fits into his day perfectly.

“I usually do studying and classes in the morning, then in the evenings it’s really nice because I get some break time and gaming time,” he said.

The Esports teams include League of Legends, Overwatch, Smash Bros., FIFA, Pokémon, Apex, Rocket League, Guilty Gear and Valorant.

“I’m not that much of a competitive guy,” said Karson Vanover, a junior studying mass communication. “I really just enjoy hanging out with everyone, and I like playing games with other people, so it really gives me an opportunity to bond with them.”

A major bonus to being on the team is the potential to land scholarship money. Some players receive financial aid through the program, just like the other sports teams at Campbellsville.

“People are like, ‘Oh wow, you can play video games and get paid?’” said Vanover.

Scholarship money and the chance to game are definite benefits of the program, but the true secret of the Campbellsville Esports team is the camaraderie it fosters.