FIU “Fortnite” Player Talks eSports

Zoe Chin/Sports Director

Nicolas Soto is a junior who plays “Fortnite” with the FIU eSports club and is the captain of the FIU Fraggers. eSports is competitive online gaming between teams or individually. The competitors play games such as “Fortnite”, “Overwatch, and “League of Legends”. Although these competitions are played at a professional level, they are also played at the collegiate level. There are currently 50 universities that competitively play eSports, according to ESPN.

Professional gamers go head-to-head in different kind of games such as “Fortnite,” “League of Legends,” and “Overwatch.” The sport has gone viral over time and there are universities who have competitive teams and clubs for eSports.

Soto has been playing competitively for six months and for him, it’s more than just another online hobby. He practices for four hours a day to keep his skills sharp. Not playing for a week can hurt a player’s style of playing, he said. But it can be difficult to go practice, work, go to school, and hang out with friends.

“I’m just a normal guy,” said Soto.

Finding that balance is hard, especially when eSport competitions are very challenging.

When playing “Fortnite” competitively, there could be 100 people in one match, he said, and they’re all fighting for the same thing. During those times, consistency is very important. When it comes to competitions, Soto makes sure his team is consistent in terms of the style and strategy that they play.

“Me and my partner compete well against the pros,” said Soto.

A key contributor to collegiate eSports world is Tespa. This is a network for college clubs to promote gaming competitions across North America. The company has partnerships with gaming companies, such as Blizzard, the creator of “World of Warcraft.” Tespa holds tournaments for “Heroes of the Storm” and “StarCraft 2.” Among these games are also “Super Smash Bros Melee,” and “Street Fighters.”

The University’s eSports club competes on the collegiate level and hopes to further expand their club to new members and compete in out-of-state competitions. Despite not having an assigned room to practice and meet in-person, the club keeps in contact with one another through “Discord,” an online chat system. The club frequently talks on the “Discord” server, Panther Esports.

Those interested in joining the club can visit www.discordapp.com/invite/esportsfiu.