Adding
to
recreational
gameplay,
BW
is
now
finding
success
with
multiple
varsity
esports
teams.
"Aww
jackets,
baby!"
That
was
the
celebratory
shoutout
from
"Conwa"
in
the
post-match
Twitch
interview
that
followed
a
dominant
debut
performance
by
Baldwin
Wallace
University
in
a
national
collegiate
esports
league.
"Conwa"
is
the
gamer
name
of
BW
business
administration
major
Connor
Griffiths
'23.
He
and
the
other
four
members
of
BW's
new
"Call
of
Duty"
varsity
team
burst
onto
the
scene
in
NACE
Starleague
competition
in
the
fall
with
a
3-0
sweep
of
Keiser
University.
"Baldwin
Wallace
University
as
a
whole
just
put
the
rest
of
the
league
on
notice,"
a
play-by-play
announcer
noted
during
the
main
Twitch
live
stream.
Collegiate
league
play
Esports
has
exploded
in
popularity.
A
2018
Pew
Research
study
found
that
90%
of
teens,
ages
13-17,
play
video
games.
BW
esports
has
also
seen
rapid
growth,
with
a
roster
of
more
than
40
students
competing
in
two
leagues
during
the
fall,
the
first
varsity
season
in
BW
history.
Five
BW
varsity
teams
and
two
academy
teams
(think
junior
varsity
play)
are
slated
to
compete
in
five
esports
titles
this
spring:
Call
of
Duty,
Rocket
League,
Overwatch,
Super
Smash
and
Valorant.
Additional
students
are
involved
in
behind-the-scenes
roles.
Open
to
all
levels
Under
the
leadership
of
Jake
Grasso,
BW's
director
of
esports,
the
University
has
joined
the
NACE
national
league
and
the
regional
Great
Lakes
Esports
Conference
(GLEC).
"We
are
a
club
that
is
transitioning
into
a
program
that
is
open
to
all
gamers
on
campus,"
Grasso
says.
"Even
if
they
don't
have
the
desire
to
compete,
there
are
still
other
ways
to
get
involved.
We
are
currently
recruiting
for
fall
to
continue
to
build
on
the
foundation
we
have
set
for
future
Yellow
Jacket
gamers."
Growing
as
a
team
The
team
practices
and
competes
at
nearby
Top
Level
Gaming
in
Middleburg
Heights,
which
bills
itself
as
the
"Premier
Esport
and
Internet
Gaming
site
in
Northeast
Ohio."
After
a
club
"Elympics"
to
celebrate
their
first
season,
the
Yellow
Jackets
are
aiming
to
keep
rising
together.
As
Griffiths
told
viewers
on
Twitch
after
the
early
success
of
the
Call
of
Duty
team,
"All
five
of
us
are
really
passionate
about
playing
together
and
growing
as
a
team."
The
goal
is
to
"see
what
level
we
push
to
and
how
far
we
can
go
with
this."
Aww
Jackets,
indeed!
