Members of the eSports club explain the club’s origin story
Noah Fajardo
Staff Writer
The eSports club is bustling with social crowds and competitive streaks when it participates in local events. Back before this, senior Joshua Moraes was new to American High. Through him, the club was reaching its beginnings with an invisible press of the “New Game.”
Although he barely knew anyone then, senior Joshua Moraes had come up with the idea of creating the club though his experience with his friends overseas. Joshua’s desire to make more friends contributed to making the club, which currently has 160 members.
“I moved here last year and I didn’t know anyone,” Joshua Moraes (12) said. “One of the social outlets that I used to play were video games with my friends overseas in New Zealand. So I thought, if I transposed these social interactions to video games and made a club, I can make more friends, or at least have people who don’t have many friends make more friends.”
Catherine Lin, the vice president of the club, was introduced to the club by Joshua Moraes. At first, she didn’t think the club was going to flourish as much as other clubs that were academic, such as MECHA, DECA or Speech and Debate, she thought it was a good way for people to meet new people.
“I thought it was a really cool idea because I didn’t really know that many people outside of my own friend group that played video games,” Catherine Lin (12) said. “And it’s not really that common for girls to play video games, so I thought it was a really good idea to get this club out.”
Anthony Gibson is a moderator for the club’s Discord chat. At first, he was scared about joining, thinking the club was going to be too competitive for him, but he found out that the club was actually helpful to its new members.
“Originally, the Discord wasn’t finished, so people were getting in. I got an invite, not knowing anything about eSports.” Anthony Gibson (9) said. “I officially signed up for the club, fell in love with eSports, and then I applied for mod and I actually became a mod.”
The eSports club is like a coin with two sides to itself. It has a competitive side, for those who like the rush of adrenaline with the finger on the virtual trigger. Alongside this, there’s a social, softer side, with people that just want to have fun, enjoy time with their friends and have a good time.
“The most significant part of this club is building on social interactions. The significance is that everyone has strong connections with their friends. Within four years, you’ll almost know everyone.” Moraes said. “This club already on its first year has 160 members and I surprised myself. I thought I’d get fifty at most. So I’m sure that this number will grow, and people will grow stronger friendships.”
Eagle Era 