The Lions are entering the Esports arena.
A MOSO Esports club has been formed, with plans underway to create a permanent home for organized and recreational gaming on campus, says Steve Benfield, director of Campus Recreation.
“Students right now are getting these kinds of activities in high school, so I think it’s really important for us to offer this,” Benfield says. “Our league will be strictly recreational, but we can still compete in tournaments.
“Our goal is to establish an Esports arena (in Beimdiek Recreation Center) so they’ll have a place to practice, play and just have fun. We’re looking forward to being able to host tournaments and travel to other schools to play.”
The early plans for a gaming home in the recreation center call for a combination of console and PC stations.
Benfield says NEO A&M College, Crowder College and Cottey College are among the local schools that have Esports teams. There are also organizations that Missouri Southern can join that would allow the club to travel to compete in tournaments.
“There are other schools with teams in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma that are within driving distance,” he says.
There is currently a mobile gaming cart available in the recreation center. It includes a variety of PlayStation 5, Xbox and Nintendo Switch games. Games that are currently popular for competitions include “Madden NFL 21,” “NBA 2K21,” “Rocket League” and “Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.”
“I highly recommend anyone who is interested to reach out,” says Benfield. “The club has been established and is still recruiting members. And gaming isn’t limited to just the club; we’ll open it up for all students to play just like any of our intramurals.”
The adviser for the MOSO Esports Club is Seth Sockwell, residence director. For more information, contact Sockwell-S@mssu.edu.