Maverick Esports Summer Camp becomes annual
After a successful Esports summer camp hosted by Minnesota State’s Esports team in 2022, the one-time event has now turned into an annual event for the Minnesota Esports community.
This summer, the camp is set to take place for six days, over the course of three weeks in June. One of the two days during each of the three weeks will be dedicated to middle schoolers, and the other to high schoolers. This year, you are able to attend one, two, or all three of the offered sessions.
“The camps are fairly similar, just a little bit different in the content that we focus on,” said Maverick Esports Assistant Coach Evan Haldeman.
The games both age groups play are mostly the same, but the highschoolers are able to add Call of Duty into the mix. Some of the other games include Rocket League and Super Smash Bros.
As someone who is looking for a job in an Esports after graduation, Haldeman hopes to help the attendees of the camp explore this possible career path, too.
“A lot of what I’m going to be doing is looking into kids finding ways to connect it to what they actually want to do, whether it’s directly Esports or something else,” said Haldeman. “ I just want to help spread, or at least, for the kids to know that that’s an opportunity.”
Whether the young gamers want to pursue a career in Esports or not, the Mavericks hope to help them obtain skills in all aspects of what it takes to be a successful player.
“The main goal for us is partially to work with our local community as reading Esports but also to give those kids an opportunity to understand how you can do it while keeping yourself physically and mentally healthy,” said Haldeman.
Another reason for the camp is to encourage people to gain a further understanding of the benefits of joining an Esports team, especially a collegiate team when the time comes.
“Esports is sort of a connection between being a multi-sport athlete and having that competition and that drive to get better,” said Haldeman. “Having a way to do it also in college where you don’t always have the physical time to get up and go to a practice or go to those late night club volleyball games or, you know, intramural sports, but still be able to actually be a part of something.”
To sign up for this year’s Maverick Esports Summer Camp, you can visit their website at esports.mnsu.edu. There are 32 spots available for each age group per day, with a $75 fee for each session.
Write to Ali Reed at alicia.reed@mnsu.edu
Header Photo: To sign up for this year’s Maverick Esports Summer Camp, you can visit their website at esports.mnsu.edu. There are 32 spots available for each age group per day, with a $75 fee for each session. (Courtesy Maverick Esports)