By Desmond Ford
Jambar Contributor
A new esports club called the Frost Penguins has been added to the Youngstown State University club sports department, which brings the total number of club sports to 24.
Esports is a competitive video game sport that numerous players play to compete in tournaments around the world for cash prizes.
Ralph Streb, a junior and a computer information systems major, is the president of the club and initiated its creation.
“A friend of mine and I originally wanted to start a League of Legends club, which is what this club had started as,” Streb said. “After we held our first big tournament, we started to interact with other schools, and we realized the demand for other esports was great, so we worked on expanding the club to what it is today.”
There about 120 members who are a part of the esports club, and that number is growing.
The club’s big gaming tournaments are Smash Bros. and League of Legends, but Streb said the club would like to go into different gaming tournaments as well.
“We support League of Legends, Overwatch, Rainbow Six Siege and Smash Bros., and our only requirements to add more games is if we have enough people that can form one collegiate team, as well as someone that wants to be the head of the games,” Streb said.
With this club being so young, Streb anticipates it will skyrocket into being something special.
“I’d like to see this club become popular as our football team,” Streb said. “Being a university-sanctioned sport where we have the full backing, full funding, we aren’t just a subset of club sports, but we would be able to send people off all over the world participate in events.”
Jason Lee, a junior biology major, has had some great times being part of the club and is eager to see the club grow.
“Watching people come join us and having fun with everybody is the best part about this club,” Lee said.
Lee said the club has challenges that could be improved, such as equipment difficulties.
“If we can get the equipment upgraded, like the computers, that would be great,” he said.
Lee said they’re hoping to be able to get a Rocket League tournament going so more people would be enticed to come join into the esports club.
Alexander Stroud, a junior mechanical engineering major, is the advertiser of the Smash Bros. tournaments and has organized different events.
Stroud said his favorite part about the club is seeing people’s love of playing video games and seeing people learning to play the games.
Stroud said it gets difficult with people having class and or work when being part of the club, but he anticipates great things coming for the future.
To join the esports club, sign up on simplicity.com or join its discord at discord.frostpenguins.org or visit frostpenguins.org.
