If watching Mario, Pikachu, Pac-Man and Isabelle from Animal Crossing duke it out in a series of no-holds-barred, mixed martial arts duels, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate might be for you.

If cartoonish Nintendo mayhem isn’t your video-game vibe, though, Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ’s esports program is adding Rocket League and Rainbow Six Siege to its repertoire in the spring, while continuing to compete in League of Legends and Overwatch 2.

The selections offer a wide variety of competitive gaming experiences.

• asks “what if cars could play soccer” and adds arcade-style jumps, tricks, and explosions, for colorful, spectator-friendly matches.
• brings some of gaming’s most-loved characters together for light-hearted brawls, including Princess Peach, Samus, and Link, and seemingly-unlikely characters such as Bayonetta, the Wii Fit Trainer, and Cloud, from Final Fantasy VII.
• offers players a more realistic, contemporary setting and art style, as a team-based first-person shooter with a focus on tactics.
• , like Smash Bros., leans heavily on its cast of colorful characters to provide lively gameplay, but all of them belong to the same tech-heavy, optimistic future setting. Matches in the first-person team-based action game are 5-on-5, with various mission goals — capture the flag, escort, elimination and more.
• , like Overwatch 2, boasts a colorful cast and 5-on-5 team-based gameplay, but it features a fantasy-based setting and a multiplayer online battle arena style with an isometric viewpoint.

While Concordia’s esports program is focusing on fielding teams for those games in the spring, James Jehlik, associate director of academic and user technology services, said the options could easily expand if students show interest in other games on the slate — like Hearthstone, DOTA 2 or Call of Duty.

While esports were once considered a niche hobby, they have grown significantly at the high school, collegiate and professional levels, complete with spectators, tournaments, and endorsement deals for pros.

As such, Concordia’s esports program resembles any other varsity-level college sports program. Its players must be registered, just like they would be for an NCAA tournament, and they need to be full-time students in good standing.

The program is open to students of any skill level who are willing to commit to it at the same level as they would to any collegiate sport.

“I don’t care about your entry skill level when you jump into a game,” Jehlik said. “My firm belief is that with coaching, with proper structure, and with all this other stuff — diet, sleep habits, time-management skills — you will become a better player.”

Dedicated players get better than average, and though they may not earn a top 1% ranking, that isn’t necessary to be successful in esports.

“I don’t need you to be a 1% player. I need you to be able to listen, learn, be a teammate,” he added. “And we’ll make players better.”

Teams that listen, work together well and share a sense of camaraderie can punch far above their weight class in esports, supporting each other on and off the screens. The team practices a few times a week, depending on how many matches and what part of the competition season they’re in.

“I grew up playing hockey and video games, so I saw the athletic culture and the gaming culture, and I had friends on both sides,” Jehlik said, emphasizing the importance of working together. “Teamwork is so, so important. I think it’s very important for us to be able to offer a safe place in a safe way to find your people here at Concordia.”

Adding new games such as to the roster allows for more players with different interests to find something they love.

“It’s a fighting game with a ton of personality,” Jehlik said. “Every character moves differently, everyone has a different hitbox, everyone has a different reach, everyone has a different grab — everyone has a complete contingent of abilities and personality.”

For example, Mario’s longtime nemesis Bowser, also known as King Koopa, is a slow-moving heavy hitter, and Sonic the hedgehog is fast, but light, meaning their players will have vastly different gaming experiences despite playing the same game, he explained.

makes a good addition to the rotation due to its popularity in high schools, and its status as a free to play game with low hardware requirements that’s based on soccer means it’s very accessible to new players. The soccer connection also makes it easy to pick up for spectators, even those who haven’t seen esports played before.

Cobber esports is working on expanding its ability to stream matches, with new equipment in the works that will improve audio quality. Some games include live commentary to help spectators follow the action, and the team is looking at bringing commentary to all the games.

Students practice in the Harvest, a newly-renovated space specifically dedicated to Cobber esports, boasting specialized gaming rigs, customizable gaming chairs, mechanical keyboards and a dedicated line for high-speed internet.

For more information about Cobber esports, or to view a live or recorded match, visit ConcordiaCollege.edu/Esports.