For many years, Esports has dealt with the misconception that the hobby secludes the youth from connecting with the people around them. However, Diamond Bar High School’s Esports program is combating this stigma through their staff and students gaming events.
The event started three years ago, with the intent for students and staff to unwind and interact with one another as they play games ranging from Jukebox to Wii. Each event is scheduled before major school holidays, at least once or twice every semester.
Biology teacher Diana Wai, has attended for the past three years. She loves being able to both meet new students and play alongside her friends in games where she would normally play alone.
“[From the event] I saw how everyone is fun-loving and how important community is to them,” Wai said.
Students such as senior Ryan Wang have also felt immense joy from each event in the program. He feels proud that there is a program that facilitates the togetherness that our school prides itself on.
“I was surprised how many teachers showed up, and it was fun challenging them and trying to beat them,” Wang said. “If it’s separate where students are doing their own thing, and staff are not having interactions, it wouldn’t make the school as good as it is.”
As Esports is growing as a sport in colleges, DBHS’ program also gives their members a way to connect with others over their passion for gaming through their interscholastic teams: Rocket League, Valorant, League of Legends, and Overwatch. They’ve worked directly with other high schools, and colleges such as UCLA to set up valuable opportunities for their members and Esport athletes.
“I’m impressed that the teams manage and coach themselves; they know each other’s actions before they do it because they practice so much,” advisor Randy Thomas said.
As Esports is rising in popularity, Diamond Bar High School’s Esports team has only shown that gaming brings support and community to our generation.
“Even though the stigma may be that esports is weird, everyone in the community and program are people that embrace their hobby” Alton Hsiung said.
