Gaming is for everyone.
That’s the message from UNC Asheville’s new esports program, offered through Campus Recreation, which just sent two Super Smash Bros.-winning students, Daniel Mannanov and Matthew Augsburger, to the Just Roll With It statewide tournament on Nov. 6-7, with the grand prize totalling more than $1,000. With Mannanov and Augsburger finishing at 129 and 193, respectively, out of 342 players, was the first time UNC Asheville has been represented at a statewide esports tournament.
But cash-award games and big tournaments are just an added bonus to the real benefit of UNC Asheville’s esports: an inclusive community, where all are welcome and everyone gets a chance to play.
“We have a really strong community, that’s very accepting of what different people like. It’s just the culture of UNCA,” said Ariel Akuneme, an esports ambassador and a member of the Super Smash Bros. club, a student organization that collaborates with Campus Recreation’s esports program on its strategic vision, as well as running events and tournaments.
Akuneme noted that gamers often have the reputation of name-calling and bullying, but that wasn’t the environment she found at UNC Asheville’s esports community at all.
“The people that come here want to experience different things, and try new things, expand their horizons…It’s a great place for an esports community because we’re very inclusive and we’re very adventurous.”
Contrary to the stereotypical image of a gamer playing alone in a dark basement, esports games at UNC Asheville are boisterous, in-person events where experienced gamers and complete newbies alike all participate in the fun. “Esports really help create that sense of belonging,” said Wendy Motch-Ellis, director of campus recreation. “We’re really committed to creating a culture where everyone feels welcome and safe, it’s a bully-free and inclusive environment.”
“Even if you've never played the game before, and don't even know what Smash Bros. is, you can come in and play,” said Augsburger, the aforementioned Smash Bros. champ, an esports ambassador and officer of the Super Smash Bros. club. “I'd never even heard of Smash Bros. until the night before I went to my first tournament.”
“Oftentimes the Super Smash Bros. community at large is very competitive, like, ultra-competitive,” agreed Brennen Shaughnessy, former president of the Super Smash Bros. club and a member of the esports advisory team. “If you're not good at the game, it can be kind of un-fun. So when we set out to create the club, one of the primary things we set out to do was make sure that it was a casually competitive environment. So there would never be any fees to enter… You can come in and lose twice, be out of the tournament, and still feel good that you came and played and had fun.”
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