The Deuel Esports Team was started in 2019 to allow students to compete in the new and growing sport of electronic video games.

What is Esports? Esports officially stands for electronic sports, not to be confused with video games. It’s much more than that. What sets it apart is the level of organized competitive gameplay between teams and its own strict set of rules and guidelines. Esports is about teamwork, communication, strategic thinking, and leadership — in all the same ways that traditional sports are and then some.

The group is led by Michael Gohring the school technology coordinator. Esports is available for anyone 13 years and older. They meet during the middle school activities period which is also Flex C Period for high school students. There is no travel involved as everything is online. They have matches with other schools when they are available.

The group plays League of Legends which is a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game where two teams of 5 players control "Champions" to battle against each other in a race to destroy the other's base.

Gameplay takes place in an arena that has 3 main avenues for reaching your opponent's base called "lanes." These lanes are protected by mobile waves of computer-controlled creatures called "minions" as well as stationary defenses called "towers."

League of Legends requires a high level of individual skill to beat your adversary in lanes as well as expert teamwork to win the overall game.

As with most sports, League of Legends teaches the players teamwork, communication, strategy, critical thinking, and enhances their motor skills. The game is considered one of the most strategic games out there competing with even games like chess for its complexity, strategy, and difficult to master mechanics.