The Arkansas Tech University Rocket League esports team has set its goals this semester of joining the Collegiate Rocket League.
Houston Barber, the president of Tech esports, said the Tech club has tried previously to join the league, and noted that being represented in the College Carball Association Rocket League tournament provides the group an important opportunity.
“To be honest, the club is still new, so it doesn’t really have that much for comradery, but I see this as a great opportunity,” Barber, a computer science major from Sherwood, said.
“The club is trying to get more developed as a whole and this level of representation is phenomenal and can hopefully lead to some interest from people outside the school,” Barber added.
Being involved in the league might help the Tech group grow, Barber said.
“I hope it does. I believe if the people in our club observe a team doing well or being well represented it will lead to them trying harder to reach that same light.”
Plus, Barber said, efforts are being made to stream the matches so other students can watch.
“As of recently, the officers have met with the event coordinator here on campus and we have discussed streaming our teams to the school via Twitch on tv screens in the cafeteria and Baztech. It might take a while to get the streams on those but for now we can only advertise through Twitter and our own Discord.”
Tech Rocket League member Cameron Lumpkin, a computer science major from Texarkana, said he is hoping the streaming effort is successful.
“I think streaming our games would be great because it would allow interested viewers to support the team. As of now there’s only Twitter available for people to watch our matches so I think it’s a great idea.”
Lumpkin said he enjoys being a member of the Tech group.
“My experience has been great so far. There are four members on team, including myself, and we are all on the same page when it comes to how we want to play as a team. Were all eager to practice as much as we can, and I’m looking forward to seeing how our first semester of play will go.”
He said trying out for the CRL is “a great opportunity. This high level of competitiveness will only allow us to get better as a team as we make a name for the school.”
As for the future of the Tech esports group, Lumpkin said, “one thing I would like to see in the future is complete utilization of our on-campus gaming lab. I think this would be a great way for our players to create a better bond as a team.”
Tech is one of 270 established chapters in the College Carball Association. The CCA has been broadcasting and organizing Rocket League events such as Collegiate Rocket League, Intel Inspires and CCA Summer Series for over four years, according to the group’s website at www.cca.gg.
