This week, the team hosted tryouts for the video game "Overwatch" and other video games. TYLER, Texas — When people think of a sports, video gaming may not come to mind, but it’s a growing sport at universities across the country, including UT Tyler. The university has an esports team with a lab where students get their practice in. This week, the team hosted tryouts for the video game "Overwatch" and other video games. "(The students) are all coming in to test their skill level to make it to make it to be on (a team)," said esports coordinator Daelynn Hunter. Gamers spent Wednesday evening putting their "Overwatch" skills to the test. "When they think about video gaming of course the first layer is gaming and fun," Hunter said. Another skill lever for video gaming is leadership. Brady Parker, a junior at UT Tyler, tried out for the team Wednesday night. To be good at the game, he said players need to have game sense, map knowledge and have good mechanics. "Calling out where people are, where things go, what’s going on, what’s happening -- stuff like that," Parker said. Hunter is in charge of making sure all the players who try out have the resources they need. "Esports is a lot more versatile than people expect," Hunter said. She plays a small part in who makes the teams, but she leaves it up to the leads, like Jonah Aikens, who oversees the "Valorant" video game team, to choose who will make what team. "Skill is obviously important. If you’re mechanically gifted, it’s important," Aikens said. He said teamwork is a big part of playing video games. "If I give you this random person off the street, can you work with them and make some magic," Aikens said. For those who tell him that esports isn’t a sport, Aikens suggests people experience paying video games firsthand. "We could do this, we could do even more than this, but you just got to match the hours, you have to put in the hours I put in and we can make something happen here," Aikens said. [embedded content]

UT Tyler hosts esports tryouts, highlighting leadership and teamwork

Gamers spent Wednesday evening putting their “Overwatch” skills to the test. “We could do this, we could do even more than this, but you just got to match the hours, you have to put in the hours I put in and we can make something happen here,” Aikens said. For those who tell him that […]

Gamers spent Wednesday evening putting their “Overwatch” skills to the test.

“We could do this, we could do even more than this, but you just got to match the hours, you have to put in the hours I put in and we can make something happen here,” Aikens said.

For those who tell him that esports isn’t a sport, Aikens suggests people experience paying video games firsthand.

“If I give you this random person off the street, can you work with them and make some magic,” Aikens said.

“When they think about video gaming of course the first layer is gaming and fun,” Hunter said.

TYLER, Texas — When people think of a sports, video gaming may not come to mind, but it’s a growing sport at universities across the country, including UT Tyler.

“Calling out where people are, where things go, what’s going on, what’s happening — stuff like that,” Parker said.

“Skill is obviously important. If you’re mechanically gifted, it’s important,” Aikens said.

He said teamwork is a big part of playing video games.

“Esports is a lot more versatile than people expect,” Hunter said.

Hunter is in charge of making sure all the players who try out have the resources they need.

“(The students) are all coming in to test their skill level to make it to make it to be on (a team),” said esports coordinator Daelynn Hunter.

This week, the team hosted tryouts for the video game “Overwatch” and other video games.

She plays a small part in who makes the teams, but she leaves it up to the leads, like Jonah Aikens, who oversees the “Valorant” video game team, to choose who will make what team.

Another skill lever for video gaming is leadership. Brady Parker, a junior at UT Tyler, tried out for the team Wednesday night. To be good at the game, he said players need to have game sense, map knowledge and have good mechanics.

The university has an esports team with a lab where students get their practice in. This week, the team hosted tryouts for the video game “Overwatch” and other video games.