Clarke Central High School’s inaugural Georgia High School Association varsity Esports team plays Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in the CCHS Media Center on Sept. 6. CCHS Esports Commentator Aley Fathalla, a senior, predicted the team to have a slow start, but will grow over the following years. “Obviously, it’s going to be the first season, we’re going to be dipping our toes in many different things,” Fathalla said. “We’re probably going to get (beaten) a few times, but all in all, I think we’re going to come out of this season looking forward to the next.” Photo by Aza Khan
The CCHS varsity Esports team was brought to CCHS at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year and immediately received support from students, parents and faculty.
Four years after the Georgia High School Association sanctioned Esports, Clarke Central High School’s athletics department has established a varsity Esports team at CCHS, broadening the competitive opportunities for students.
In fall of 2019, GHSA officially sanctioned competitive gaming, known as Esports. In 2017, GHSA partnered with PlayVS, founded in Los Angeles, California, whose main objective is to facilitate and promote Esports as a legitimate and organized sport within educational institutions. GHSA Esports competitions use PlayVS as a platform to connect high schools to play against each other during competitions.
“(CCHS Career, Technical and Agricultural Education department chair Nestor) Domingo took on the challenge of starting our Esports team when the sport was first introduced to GHSA athletics (in 2018-19),” CCHS Associate Athletic Director Chris Aiken said.
“Due to issues with the district network, we struggled all year to connect to the server for practices and games.”
Clarke Central High School varsity Esports members Finley Gibbs (left) and Aley Fathalla (right), seniors, give game commentary on the CCHS vs. University of Georgia’s Esports team
in the CCHS Media Center on Sept. 13. The Esports team played Super Smash Bros. Ultimate during their fall 2023 season, which Fathalla has enjoyed playing since its release on the Nintendo Switch in 2018. “Video games are a universal thing to enjoy,” Fathalla said. “Smash Bros. is (something) everybody around the world (can) enjoy and it (doesn’t) pertain to one culture.” Photo by Aza Khan
When attempting to start an Esports team again towards the end of the 2022-23 school year, Aiken reached out to Clarke Middle School social studies department teacher Sean Simpson due to Simpson’s annual classroom themes, ranging from “Pokémon” to “Star Wars.” By establishing the team, Aiken and the athletics department wanted to get students to participate in a wider variety of extracurricular activities.
“(The athletics department is) trying to offer as many things as we can so that we can support the diverse needs of all of our students, whether it’d be traditional stick and ball type sports or console sports,” Aiken said.
Because Esports is an official sport at CCHS, they have an estimated $1500 in startup expenditures for Nintendo products and PlayVS passes for involved students. According to Aiken, if CCHS Esports expands its roster and its selection of games, the athletics department will upgrade to an unlimited package, allowing the team to compete in more competitions with an unlimited number of student players.
“If our Esports program continues to grow at the current (exponential) rate, we will likely purchase an unlimited package moving forward,” Aiken said. “As an athletic department, we would be thrilled for the program to grow to the point where we need the unlimited package every season.”
As part of the unlimited package, GHSA Esport regulations include a broad variety of games with different adaptations of skills required for each. The regulations include award-winning games like Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. However, CCHS Esports presently only competes with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
“The (athletic) department and I decided we’re gonna stick with one game this year (and) see how many students are interested,” Simpson said. “I expect that we will expand into not only Smash Brothers next year, but Rocket League, Mario Kart and maybe Madden (NFL 24).”
“The (athletic) department and I decided we’re gonna stick with one game this year (and) see how many students are interested. I expect that we will expand into not only Smash Brothers next year, but Rocket League, Mario Kart and maybe Madden (NFL 24).
— Sean Simpson,
Clarke Middle School social studies department teacher
Aside from increasing overall student interest, Simpson’s co-focus for the team is to develop and balance the gaming skill level among players. The Esports team has four positions: Commentators, Managers, Starters and Benches. Commentators narrate the game, Managers help with practice sessions, Starters are the main players and Benches are substitutes for Starters during competitions. Commentators and Managers do not participate in competitions.
“I want Starters to practice against Benches of course with a healthy dose of Starters versus Starters. Iron sharpens iron,” Simpson said. “I want my Benches to become as good as my Starters (and) I want everyone to try to get equal playing time.”
Esport matches do not usually require travel to other high schools or designated competition sites, as the PlayVS platform allows for real-time, remote participation. Students, parents and other interested community members are able to watch the Esports team’s progress online on Twitch with the username @CCHS_Gladiators.
“High schools sign up (for competitions) through (PlayVS) and set up teams,” Simpson said. “When I arrive (to CCHS), I hook up the switches to the Internet and go on PlayVS and I mark our team as ready. The (PlayVS) program matches us up with another high school that’s ready, (then) a chat window pops up and I put in our friend code (so) we’re able to game.”
Aside from building connections with other schools, according to the GHSA website, Esports opens new opportunities for students to bond and build a community within their school for those not interested or unable to participate in traditional sports. Inversely, the reaction of some students may say otherwise.
“I feel like it’s better off as a club,” CCHS sophomore Na’reeyah Williams said. “Compared to the regular athletes, you’re not putting (in) as much physical dedication and if you’re good at it, just let it be a (hobby rather) than a sport.”
Despite similar perspectives, Simpson feels that Esports is more than just a hobby. It is an opportunity to impact students from different backgrounds and create a safe environment. To support this student participation, Simpson is working with parents to create a booster club.
“A lot of these students don’t hang out with each other normally, but we have a wide variety of demographics with our team,” Simpson said “They really don’t hangout with anyone, (but) they’re all down there having fun yelling and screaming, playing against each other. I love it. It makes me so happy.”
“A lot of these students don’t hang out with each other normally, but we have a wide variety of demographics with our team. They really don’t hangout with anyone, (but) they’re all down there having fun yelling and screaming, playing against each other. I love it. It makes me so happy.”
— Sean Simpson,
Clarke Middle School social studies department teacher
Esports Bench River Fowells, a senior, feels involving himself in the Esports community has impacted him in more ways than he initially thought.
“With (the) couple of people I have interacted with, it’s been pretty cool (because I‘ve) started liking some people,” Fowells said. “It’s nice we share the same interests in playing Esports because I don’t really play a lot of multiplayer games. Hanging out and playing video games with them is a different experience than I usually have.”
CCHS Esports Commentator Aley Fathalla, a senior, believes Esports opens doors for college after high school.
“Big colleges are looking at Esports as a potential new big thing,” Fathalla said. “(Colleges are) going to be looking at (the) pools of high schoolers (in) varsity Esports and it could potentially lead to life-changing scholarships.”
According to CCHS Esports Starter Todd Dow, a senior, Esports and consequential connections with teammates have allowed personal aspirations to grow.
“I’m looking forward to taking this experience and just having a good memory about it,” Dow said. “Playing games is cool, but if I can look back and be like, ‘Dang, that was pretty cool,’ a couple (of) years later down the line, that’s all that matters to me.”
Story by Evan Cornish
Packaged by Luke Shannon
