By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The Great Bend Recreation Commission, in partnership with Barton Community College, dove into their first eSports tournament in late March. Understanding the popularity of video games turned into a spectator sport, the Rec is hopeful to create more tournaments and eventually eSports leagues for children to play.
GBRC Director Chris Umphres said there were 24 participants
in their first tournament, with half of the players being college-aged.
"They actually mixed all of them together, so the little kids were able to play against college kids," said Umphres. "It'll be nice if we can get a little bit more, we can separate them. It was a Rocket League game, so it's basically a soccer ball getting kicked around with a car. Parents were there cheering on the kids. It was pretty cool."
At February’s Great Bend Rec board meeting, the commission discussed purchasing
seven PlayStation 5 consoles and several television monitors to host tournaments
and leagues.
The 2022-2023 school year marked the third season that Barton Community College
has participated in eSports competitions.