BROKEN BOW — A Broken Bow High School senior has earned an Esports scholarship to Highland Community College in Highland, Kan.
Dane Sidel said he has been playing video games as far back as his memory goes, starting out on the family Wii console. He said by age 15, his, “path was set in stone,” to pursue video games seriously as it had grown to be more than just a hobby.
Sidel said to receive a scholarship for this is a “wonderful thing.”
Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams.
Multiplayer competitions have long been a part of video game culture, but were largely between amateurs until the late 2000s, when the advent of online streaming media platforms, particularly YouTube and Twitch, enabled a surge in participation by professional gamers and spectators.
By the 2010s, Esports were becoming a major part of the video game industry.
Sidel’s career with Esports began when he was in eighth grade and culminated when they qualified for state when he was a sophomore. After their coach moved, the team had to dissolve, but Sidel continued with competitions on his own.
Sidel would travel to tournaments in Lincoln and Omaha.
While he plays several different video games, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has been his focus. Sidel said he is better at this game than others, owing to the time he has put into it.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a 2018 crossover fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios. The game is a platform fighter for up to eight players in which characters from Nintendo games and third-party franchises fight to knock each other out of an arena.
The path to receiving an Esports scholarship is similar to traditional sports, Sidel said. There were various platforms where he could put his name and statistics out for colleges to review, he also reached out to colleges directly.
Sidel said Highland Community College was not his only choice, but he said it was his choice due to the “beautiful,” campus, the small town feel and the student to teacher ratio. “I loved every bit of it,” he said.
Matt Ludwick, Highland Esports coach, said Sidel is good enough to be the captain of their Smash Bros. team.
Ludwick said he looks for individuals who are willing to work as a team and are not too proud to learn something new. He said he would rather have team members who have the right attitude, who can adapt and are willing to listen.
Highland Community College has over 40 student-athletes competing in Esports. They compete in the National Esports Collegiate Association league the National Esports Collegiate Conference.
The different Esports games that the Highland Esports team competes in are Overwatch 2, Rocket League, Valorant, Call of Duty, Smash Bros, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Apex, Fortnite, League of Legends, Madden, Rainbow 6, NBA2k, and FIFA.
Reflecting on his path to this point, Sidel said, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
