Virtual commissioner

Chico State’s sports program got a little more competitive last week. Well, virtual sports, that is. On Nov. 19, grad student Alberto Hernandez launched the Chico chapter of the College Gaming League. About 15 gamers showed up to the club’s first meeting to discuss the CGL and plan their ascent in the competitive collegiate-gaming world. College Gaming League was founded as a joint venture between Dell, Intel and Microsoft. The league is a free exclusive to college students that plays off of already established school rivalries by providing a community and framework for avid PC and console gamers to connect and compete. Teams can enter tournaments to compete for prizes and school rankings. Currently, Purdue, Cal State Fullerton and the University of Arizona are the top three teams in the rankings, but Hernandez hopes that Chico State will soon top the list posted online at www.cgl.delluniversity.com. Students play a variety of online games such as World of Warcraft, CounterStrike, Call of Duty and even Guitar Hero.

Why did you start College Gaming League at Chico State?

Well, I work for Dell, and I noticed the college didn’t have a gaming club and that it needed one.

Tell me about CGL.

We’re part of a national network that has multiple servers for students at colleges from across the nation to compete against each other. For instance, last Friday, Nov. 14, Ball State held a huge match against Central Florida in a six-versus-six match of Team Fortress 2. They streamed the match live on the Internet, and professional gamers from Team Pandemic provided commentary.

Schools compete?

I’ll quote the team manager of Team Pandemic, Dell’s professional gaming team: “At the heart of the College Gaming League’s design was a desire to see the passion and pageantry of collegiate rivalries cross over into e-sports.” We want to arrange matches between Chico State and Humboldt State or Sacramento State.

Tell gamers what College Gaming League will be doing in the future.

We plan to organize and host two gaming events every semester. Becoming involved in competitive gaming can also lead to a pro gaming career. As Chico competes and does well, there’s a chance the team will catch the eye of Dell and Team Pandemic. Through the CGL, students have the chance to play against the pros. Also, for many of the tournaments there are prizes.

Sounds fun.

I can’t wait for Chico to play Sacramento. Chico State’s College Gaming League is a club, but it’s also a team. We try to win money prizes, but we also have to plan events and be board members. If you’re a competitive PC gamer, then this is an opportunity for you to gain experience running an organization that’s really fun.