“The UTA ESports team is considered a premiere varsity program.”
Meeting the UT Arlington ESports Overwatch Team
ABOUT MY ONE MINUTE DOCUMENTARY
by Hannah García
On March 30, the Arlington Museum of Art opened its doors after relocating inside of the Arlington Expo Center on Ballpark Way. The new space makes for larger exhibits from around the world and more opportunities for community projects.
Across the main hallway from the AMA in the Expo Center is the Esports Stadium. Esports, short for electronic sports, is competitive gaming through video games. Consoles can include computers, controller-based and handheld devices, and games can range through hundreds of genres.
Less than two miles away from the Expo Center, the University of Texas at Arlington has been nurturing Esports teams for years. Today, the UTA ESports team is considered a premiere varsity program.
Currently there are UTA teams for Overwatch, League of Legends, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. and Valorant. However, only the Overwatch, League of Legends and Rocket League teams compete in collegiate competitions.
The program in which the Overwatch team plays under called EGF, the Electronic Gaming Federation, is a North American Esports organization. Started in 2015, EGF oversees leagues for varsity-level collegiate, high school and middle school teams, and works directly with schools to develop and support Esports programs across competition, community and education.
The UTA Overwatch team works diligently throughout the week to iron out their skills for competitions. Overwatch team captain Joseph Aguilar said they currently have eight players, five starters, who begin playing each match, and three subs, who get switched in and out with the starters.
UTA students involved in the Esports program are held to the same standard as regular sports players, ensuring they maintain their GPA and stay physically active and mentally fit with program-specific guidelines and requirements.
Meet Hannah García
Hannah García is pursuing a journalism degree with a creative writing minor at the University of Texas at Arlington. She is currently the news editor of the school’s daily publication, The Shorthorn.
Though busy with school and work most of the time, they enjoy relaxing with naps, collecting trinkets and watching YouTube videos.
About AMA+UTA CreateCollab
Since the Fall 2022 semester, the Arlington Museum of Art has partnered with The University of Texas at Arlington and a senior-level digital storytelling class to explore a wide variety of contemporary themes inspired by the museum’s mission, values, and exhibitions.
Class projects include photo essays, one-minute documentaries, and brief audio stories.
Associate Professor of Communication Erika Pribanic-Smith teaches the class. She values opportunities to bring real-world experiences to her students.
“My goal is to give my students real-world experience in all of my classes, creating real stories using real sources,” said Dr. Pribanic-Smith. “Creating stories that will be published for the public to see, not just submitted for a grade, gives students extra incentive to put forth their best effort. Furthermore, working with professionals gives the students another layer of feedback to re-enforce what they’re learning in the classroom. I prefer to work with organizations like the Arlington Museum of Art who will benefit in some way from the students’ content so that we are providing a service to the community.”
