A group of D.C. high school gamers got an exciting surprise Monday as they entered a school lab to find thousands of dollars in donated equipment replacing their previous electronics, which were slower and outdated.
The equipment came from Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which is well-known for owning the Wizards, Capitals and Mystics. Monumental also owns a professional esports organization called Wizards District Gaming.
“We’ve donated more than 80 items here,” said Andrew McNeill, senior director of esports at Monumental.
It was roughly $10,000 worth of equipment.
“It’s PCs, monitors, chairs, headsets, mice and keyboards,” McNeill said.
Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competitive gaming in which players compete against each other in organized tournaments, leagues and matches. Esports has rapidly gained popularity in recent years, with millions of players and viewers tuning in to watch the action.
Players often specialize in a particular game or genre, honing their skills and strategies over time to become top-ranked players in their respective fields.
“It’s a serious business,” said McNeill. “There are a lot of sponsors involved, a lot of dollars involved, and it’s a sport that a lot of the younger generations are seeing as an established sport.”
Unlike traditional sports, esports competitions take place entirely online, with players participating remotely. Matches are often streamed live on popular platforms, such as Twitch and YouTube, with expert commentators providing play-by-play analysis of the action.
“We’re going to be able to do a lot more from this lab now,” said Lee James, the esports coach at Eastern High School.
James has about 50 kids in his program, playing video games such as NBA 2K and Madden.
“It’s treated just like any other sport where students have to maintain minimum GPAs and they have to be in good standing in all other aspects,” James said. “We love to allow our students who are really talented to play at the next level.”
One of the sophomore students in the school’s esports program, Theo, said that “sometimes the games would lag or there would be problems with the monitors.”
With all the donated equipment however, things will be different now.
“The monitors have gotten better, the keyboard and mouse are nicer and they run smoother,” said Theo. “I’m excited that we won’t have those issues anymore.”
