Joining the Auburn Esports' Overwatch team means playing among some of the best in the country, according to club president, Evan Brown, junior in sports production.
The club, centered around a team-based online game called Overwatch, is looking for new players to help them elevate their game. They have been competing for nearly four years and currently consist of six members.
"We want the best of the best," Brown said. "We want people who are at the top of their position, but I want everyone to know that we have multiple teams that are open to all skill levels. Something I'm trying to do is bring a heartbeat to the community – like, try to make it an actual community where people can come and have fun and play the game that they love with each other and make friends. That's what's important to me."
Auburn Overwatch players don't have the luxury of getting on scholarship, as is the case at many other schools, but Auburn's members have access to "top-level" coaching and reap the benefits of going toe-to-toe with heavily-funded teams.
According to Brown, Auburn defeated the No. 13 team in the nation last year and will continue to face top schools around the country. In fact, Brown has recently started up the Southern Esports Conference competition for Overwatch, including all Southeastern Conference schools with the exception of Vanderbilt and Missouri, who were replaced by Clemson and Texas Tech. They will also compete in the Overwatch Collegiate Championship in November.
"My best recruiting pitch is that we, as players, pay out of pocket for coaching – top-level coaching – and we're one of the best teams in the country," Brown said. "We beat fully-funded scholarship teams in and out like it's nothing."
The cross-platform game can be played from anywhere on PC, Xbox, Nintendo Switch or PlayStation, with the team's main form of communication being in a Discord chat. The team engages in about four to five competitions per week, and it can be played at the location of your convenience – although the club organizes in-person events for members to meet and hang out.
Along with Overwatch, Auburn Esports also has competitive leagues for Valorant, League of Legends, Rainbow Six Siege, CS:GO, Super Smash Brothers, Smite, Rocket League, Omega Strikers and Apex Legends.
Students who are interested can join Auburn Esports on AU Involve, where there is a link to their Discord servers.
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