All posts by Finn Sparrow, Arts and Entertainment Editor

Home Page News Bytes, Opinion

Opinion: The complexity of higher education

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I’ve seen the idea recently floating around that colleges should be free.

On the surface that seem like a great idea, but if you look deeper, does everyone deserve to go to college?

I will not lie college is expensive with everything from textbooks that cost hundreds of dollars to scary fees for high-cost courses and their Learning Management Systems (LM.) What I think makes college different than other forms of education such as middle school or high school is that college is the survival of the fittest. In college your education is as good as you make it, either way the college ends up with your money if you pass or fail.

What motivates me to do well in college is a fear of failure, my parents pay for my college education, and we have made a deal that they will pay for me just if I pass my classes. If I fail and have to retake the class, I have to pay them back.

By having a little bit of skin in the game it forces me to do my absolute best. Now if we took that away and made college free it would turn into high school again, people would slack off because there would be no consequences for their failure.

Also, not everyone in society is meant to go to college. The reality is that not everyone is meant for college, some people just work better in trades or in self-employment, it wouldn’t make sense for them to waste all their money on a college education.

The United States needs their minimum wage workers to have a functioning economy.  Some people go into companies without a college education. The end up working a minimum wage position but after years of working there they gain the necessary experience to move up to a better paying job. After reading what I just said you must think I am privileged and ignorant. Don’t get me wrong, I do not think college should be completely free and the current cost for some schools are ridiculous. I think the government should either reduce prices on state schools or they should introduce more programs like the GI bill but for other government agencies. So, if you serve the government, they will pay for your college depending on what school you go to.

Another reform that should be made is to the textbook market.  As I said in the opening the prices student pay for textbooks are ridiculous. The teachers should be able to distribute and pay for the parts of the textbook they need instead of buying the whole thing.

Overall, I think everyone should have a chance at college. I think their succusses should be decided on how much they are willing to work for a good education. Our current education system is flawed but it also promotes survival of the fittest mindset. If you are really motivated to go to an Ivy League school and don’t have the money you can work for it, get good grades, study hard, play a sport, doing stuff like that helps your chances of getting in. If you don’t want to go to college then don’t, you shouldn’t be pressured by society to go down a specific path. You probably won’t go far without a higher education but there is a lot of alternatives to college, such as trade school (which costs significantly less money).

 

Arts and Entertainment, Home Page News Bytes

Tiger King: A documentary that seems like fiction

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If I told you there was a documentary about a gay polygamist Republican tiger owning cowboy, would you believe me?  Well, if you haven’t seen Tiger King you probably wouldn’t. For those who don’t know, Tiger King is a documentary on Netflix, it was released on March 20, 2020. It couldn’t have released at a better time either, it was released during the start of the pandemic lockdowns. Everyone was inside and didn’t have anything better to do so they watched Tiger King. is the timing of it release the only reason for its success?

For those who haven’t seen Tiger King and don’t want it spoiled according to the IMDB plot summary “Among the eccentrics and cult personalities in the stranger-than-fiction world of big cat owners, few stand out more than Joe Exotic , a mulleted, gun-toting polygamist and country western singer who presides over an Oklahoma roadside zoo. Charismatic but misguided, Joe and an unbelievable cast of characters including drug kingpins, conmen, and cult leaders all share a passion for big cats and the status and attention their dangerous menagerie’s garner. But things take a dark turn when Carole Baskin, an animal activist and owner of a big cat sanctuary, threatens to put them out of business, stoking a rivalry that eventually leads to Joe’s arrest for a murder-for-hire plot, and reveals a twisted tale where the only thing more dangerous than a big cat is its owner.”

What I like about the show is that it does a masterful job of  documenting these characters. it will show you one person and you will think they are normal but then they will hit you with the crazy aspect of them. For example, after the introduce Joe Exotic  they introduce Carole Baskin, at first she seems just to be some normal woman who cares about tigers and is the enemy of joe. Later in that episode, you find out that Carole Baskin was a primary suspect in the murder case of her first husband and that some suspect her of having fed her first husband to one of the tigers. That is only one of the major twists and turns of the series. Another thing I like about the series is how they keep it short and sweet. The whole show is only seven episodes long and it does a carful job of stringing together the story and keeping the viewer on the edge of their seat

I decided to get a outside opinion on the show. When asked student Faith Barrett had this to say “I think the overall investigative journalism about Joe Exotic  was very well done. You really got to see the real him and what he has gone through over the years.  I think it would’ve been popular if it wasn’t for quarantine, but I think the overall spread of popularity would have taken a lot longer. I feel like everyone was really bored and looking for another reality show to watch.”

Barrett makes a good point. Regardless of the pandemic Tiger King would have been popular. It has all the good makings of a classic tv show. It has drama, it has comedy, it has a entertaining cast. I think the main draw to the show is that it’s a true story. on the surface level this whole show seems unbelievable but with the time and investigative journalism that was put into the show it backs it up. as I said before I think regardless of the pandemic, the show would have been popular, it just would of taken longer. With the pandemic it has given people the time to experience underrated entertainment.

Campus Life, News, Slider

Survey shows students coping with a year of isolation, loneliness

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The pandemic has caused a mass amount of change in a small amount of time. Some people may refer to the pandemic as unprecedented. The group that the pandemic has had the largest effect on is students. Kids went from seeing their teacher and friends everyday face to face to seeing people from their computer screen. That radical change isn’t good for kids and has affected them in many ways.  I put out a survey to my fellow peers at NECC, asking about how the pandemic has affected them personally.

The major effect of the pandemic on kids were the end of friendships, it’s not the same communicating with people virtually.

When asked on how they keep in touch with their friends virtually student Shaun Hood had this to say “I text my friends and we play video games together often. I also have Zoom meetings with teachers from my high school who I keep in touch with occasionally.”

During this pandemic the video game market has been booming. It’s a positive thing because it allows people to connect in a safe virtual way. When the other sources where asked they gave a similar answer saying either social media, text or call.

Not only has the pandemic influenced some people’s social life’s it also has changed people. It’s made people grow up and address the harsh reality of the world.  When asked on how the pandemic has changed them student Jocelyn Avila-Frias said this “I feel like the pandemic made me stronger in a way since I had to deal with a lot of loss, but it also made me find hope in other places to keep pushing forward.”

People aren’t going to be the same after this. The amount of stress and loss will defiantly make people stronger, but it will also have a huge negative effect on their mental health.

Besides the threat of imminent death due to the COVID- 19 virus, there is an unspoken threat, our own mental health. Isolation is scary and can feel hopeless. Not to mention how hard it is when going out, knowing that any of these people around you could have the virus.

When asked about the pandemic’s effect on their mental health student Faith Barret said “Yes, it has affected my mental health because the isolation really took a toll on me.”

As a follow up she was asked if she was taking any steps to fix her mental health she said “yes I am journaling and trying to limit my time on social media and sitting around”

Social media is a double edged sword during this time, because on one hand it allows people to stay in touch but on the other it furthers the sense of loneliness

Things aren’t too dim though. With the roll out of vaccines and more and more people becoming eligible for it.  because of that we will slowly be able to return to a new normal.

One of the things students are looking forward to is the potential reopening of NECC. When asked on what they thought about the potential reopening of school, student Katherine Townsend had this to say. “I prefer classes in person, but I’ve gotten so used to online that I’m kind of indifferent about it!”

A lot of people have been able to make the adjustment to working from home. Some people though prefer the classroom due to the sense of structure. Such as student Rachel who said “I work better in a classroom setting I would prefer classes.”

Things may seem bad right now, but the future looks bright. More and more people will be able to get the vaccine as the year goes on. If people wear the masks and follow the proper procedures, we will be out of this in no time. Currently if you are struggling with anything be it mental health or school work there are resources at NECC.

Feel free to look at their student services page at the following link. https://www.necc.mass.edu/succeed/student-support-services/

 

 

 

 

 

Arts and Entertainment, Home Page News Bytes

Red Dead Redemption 2: A flawed masterpiece

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Red Dead Redemption 2 was a video game developed by Rockstar games. It was released in 2019 and it is the prequal to the first game. The game has a breathtaking story mode with scenic landscapes, a great story with interesting characters and engaging gameplay mechanics which allows you to consistently come back to it.

The reason the story mode is so great is the world building. The way they introduce you to the world works so well. The game is about Arthur Morgan and the gang he runs with; the game is set during the end of the wild west era so the gang is desperate for money and are following their flawed leader Dutch Vanderlin. At the beginning of the game, you start out at this cabin on a snowy mountain, but as the game goes on it slowly and naturally leads you towards new areas because of the story. The world building gives you a real sense of natural progression in the game. Another plus about the game is the mechanics, they give you a large open world to play in, in the open world you can find random people who will lead you on side quests. You can also choose some dialogue options when approaching NPC’S, options such as rob, intimidate, greetings, and the best part about these options is that they will lead to different outcomes with different NPCs.  Finally, I also really like the overall story, as said before the game is set in the end of the wild west and outlaw era. You really get to see and feel how desperate Arthur and the rest of the gang becomes towards the end, when they realize that their leader Dutch actually has no plan on how to lead them to prosperity. Even though the gang is desperate to survive you get some more heartwarming moments when the gang feels less like a gang and more like a family

When asked on his opinion student Zachary cutter gave the following response “I played it and I loved it probably one of my favorite games that was put out by Rockstar games besides L.A. Noire. The game features events from the post-civil war era in America which I am an enthusiast with. The rise of woman’s rights that happened around the same time in our timeline. This era also saw the rise of the lost Cause myth which I loathe since it is a Conspiracist claim that the Civil war was over states’ rights which it was not and tried to glamorize the confederate cause case the neo confederate gang in the game you encounter the Lemoyne raiders and you can visit a slave holding house and a battlefield in the game. The game also features an early version of the KKK which you can shoot them to gain karma although in our timeline they were not a thing yet but still an ever-looming presence is still there. It also has 2 UFOs in the game and Serbian inventor Nikola Tesla although in the game he is called Marko Dragic. The game itself has the most beloved outlaw turned hero with Arthur Morgan. The van der Linde gang was a family we can relate to an extent and see how their fall began and see how Dutch end up in the shape we see him during the events of Red Dead Redemption 1. suffice to say this game is awesome in the history department.”

I think Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the greatest games of all time. It has a large world packed to the brim with a ton of activities. The story is well thought out and very cinematic on its own. The game play mechanics allow for a large variety of user experience.  this game is a shining example of what open world games should be and I really hope Rockstar games stays on this track when it comes to making future games.

Arts and Entertainment

“The Ringer:” Lighthearted fun or deeply problematic?

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If someone told you that there was a comedic movie, about a normal man who lies to compete in The Special Olympics, you would be rightly outraged. This is the basic plot of the movie “The Ringer” but the movie is deeper than that in the way it depicts its characters.

Before we look at this movie, we must look at the history of The Special Olympics. The first Special Olympics was held on June 20th, 1968 and it was started by Eunice Kennedy Shriver who previously had a camp for kids with disabilities. According to The Special Olympics website “The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.”

The movie The Ringer was directed by the Farley brothers and stars Johnny Knoxville. On the surface this movie may seem like a problematic film. But it’s actually deeply heartwarming. Knoxville plays a man who goes into debt after causing an accident which injures his gardener. To get the cash to save him Knoxville and his uncle decide to put him in The Special Olympics as a athlete. Knoxville passes as an athlete to the event organizers. He goes in thinking it will be easy, but he is wrong. Also, all the athletes competing realize that he is not special needs. They do not tell any of the event organizers so they can make a fool out of him. Some of the athletes though try and help Knoxville after he explains his situation.

What makes this movie so good is the steps that the film makers went through to make sure they were not discriminating against special needs people. The first major step the film makers took was giving The Special Olympics organization full control over the script. This paid off because the input of The Special Olympics Organization helped make sure that the characters were realistically written and humanized. The next thing the film makers did was cast 150 actual special needs actors in the film. Even the main cast was made up of mostly special needs actors. These two major steps the film makers took worked because they received praise and endorsement from the organization.

The chairman of Special Olympics Tim Shriver said in a press release “Beyond improving the lives of our athletes on the playing field, a key goal of Special Olympics is to change attitudes of nondisabled young people about people with intellectual disabilities, dispelling negative stereotypes. Humor can be a very effective way to reach young people and the Farrellys are masters of both.”

One  of the actors from the film who is an actual Special Olympics athlete Eddie Barbanell also said in the press release “This movie does not mock people with intellectual disabilities. When you see this movie, laugh with us, not at us. See us as human beings and people just like you and watch us showcase our talents.”

I think most importantly though the movie leaves you with the message that you should not be condescending to people. Throughout the film the main volunteers for the event are overly condescending to the athletes and the athletes take advantage of it. When Knoxville talks to them, he just talks normally and because of that him and the athletes become better friends.

I can relate to that as I am a volunteer for my local chapter of special Olympics and my sister has autism. Throughout all her life I have seen people treat her like a child just because she has autism. But as her brother I know she is smarter than that and I can talk to her normally I just may have to explain a couple of things or word them differently. The same can be said about other special needs kids.

With comedy nothing is off limits, success in that field depends on how you spin it. With “The Ringer” it does an outstanding job of taking such a taboo subject such as people with disabilities and spins it into a positive movie. Instead of taking the easy way out and laughing at the people with disabilities we laugh with them.

Arts and Entertainment

Music review: ‘Whole Lotta Red,’ whole lotta greateness or a whole lotta hype?

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On December 25th at 12:00 am on Christmas, the Atlanta rapper Playboi Carti dropped his long awaited second studio album “”Whole Lotta Red””, it received mixed reviews from the fans but to fully understand the album and the strenuous release schedule we must go over the brief history of the album.

The album was announced in late 2018 a couple of months after the release of his first studio album “Die Lit.” Towards the end of 2018 Carti started recording “Whole Lotta Red.” During the process of creating his album he had to deal with numerous leaks. One infamous leak was the song  Pissy Pampers, which was a song featuring Young Nudy. The song went viral even though it was not released officially. Due to that leak and many others Carti had to go back and remake a lot of the album.

He was quiet on social media, until he released the track @meh. Which did not receive the best reviews, causing him to go on another social media hiatus. On November 23 Carti returned from his hiatus and started a campaign of vague tweets teasing the album and On December 25 it was finally released.

The album itself received mixed reviews some people criticized it for not having the features that Carti hinted at. People like Travis Scott, Post Malone, and Pharrell Williams were all rumored to be features on the album. Others just did not like the change of Carti’s overall sound.

Personally, I really enjoy the album. I like how Carti took a more experimental approach to the album with his overall flow and sound. Those changes allow for a unique experience while listing to it. Something else I found cool on the album is some of the references Carti drops on his songs. Such as on the song M3TA MORPHASIS with Kid Cudi when Carti says “They can’t understand me, I’m talkin’ hieroglyphics,” which is a reference to a common criticism of his new flow where he uses a high pitch baby voice that causes people to not understand what he is rapping, that is why he says I’m talkin hieroglyphics.

Finally, the production on the album was amazing because people like Pierre Borne and Kanye West producing the album. It is bound to have some of the most creative and engaging beats and production.

Overall, I think I would give this album an 8/10 and my one suggestion to people who decide to listen to the album after reading this.

Listen to it multiple times, it is the type of music that grows on you and the more you listen to it the more you get into the vibes!

 

Arts and Entertainment

Hack the planet

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For the longest time in media there has not been a good depiction of hacking.

Most of it involved people typing super-fast on a computer while someone looks over their shoulder in awe.

 The only recent depiction of hacking in modern media is in the show Mr. Robot.

I am not here to talk about realistic hacking media though, today I am going to tell you about a hidden gem of a movie called Hackers.

Hackers is a 1995 film directed by Lain Softley and stars Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie, Jesse Bradford, Matthew Lillard, Laurence Mason, Renoly Santiago, Lorraine Bracco, and Fisher Stevens.

Please bear with me as I explain the ludicrous plot to the film.

The film is about this kid named Davy Murphy aka “zero cool” or “crash overdrive.” When he was like 12, he hacked into a bank causing mass chaos.

As punishment for his crime, he could not touch a pay phone or computer till he is 18.

In present day he moves to NY with his mom and continues hacking. He also meets a bunch of other hackers at his new school.

After getting to know them they all get framed for creating a virus. So crash overdrive and his fellow hackers must find the real culprit of the virus.

I cannot tell you any more without spoiling the rest of the film.

The film is a product of its time from the music to the fashion even the way they get around which is roller-skates.

Some people may argue that makes the film dated but I would argue that that is what makes it so great.

Another aspect that makes this film absolute gold is the hacking.

They will show these wild screens filled with numbers and shapes and frankly they look just like screen savers.

Knowing movie production, I can tell you that the computer screens where digitally edited in.

Finally, the last aspect of the film I really loved is the quotes. Quotes from this film like “HACK THE PLANET” or the other quote “mess with the best die like the rest.”

Overall, the film technically is not good, but it is good in the way of showing how our understanding of computers and tech evolved over the years.

It is also just super cheesy and a film you can just turn on and not think too hard about what you are watching

 

 

Campus Life, Slider

Distant learning

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March 2020 was a weird time; people’s lives were changing as they were sent to stay in their homes for a couple of months. Homes became offices and classrooms.

Students went from seeing their friends at school to seeing their friends behind a computer screen. Life was like this for some months then June rolled around, people started to live their normal lives socially distant.

Summer ended leaving one question in peoples’ head. What’s school going to look like this year? Schools had three options, full remote, hybrid model or full face to face classes with social distancing.

Schools across the country all made their own decisions with varying results.

Some colleges successfully brought kids back on campus, having them take online classes from their dorm. Some colleges that had face to face classes had to deal with students on campus partying without masks causing Covid spikes.

Our school NECC went fully remote from the beginning of the fall semester. NECC before the pandemic offered online courses so the transition, went smooth for the most part. I talked to some of the students on how they where holding up during this weird period in their lives.

When school was initially taken online some people were concerned that the students would not do well in an online environment.

When asked on if they have taken online classes before and how their transition went,  student Mirrorajah Metcalfe answered, “I did online course for my 8th grade of middle school and partially throughout high school, so the transition was personally not too difficult.”

Some people had easier transitions than others, when the student Niasly Gonzalez was asked they said, “I have never took classes online before the pandemic the transition was pretty difficult in the beginning and sometimes is now.”

The NECC campus is not just classrooms it is also home to a basketball court, a fitness center, game room and multiple lounge type areas for students to hang out and meet other students.

When asked what they miss about campus Metcalfe said “I miss being in a classroom with other students. I miss being able to raise my hand to ask the professor a question. I miss being able to walk around or go to the NECC library and study. I miss learning interactively.”

When the student Robert Smith was asked what he missed on campus he said, “The things that I miss most about campus are interacting with people face to face and the Student Center.”

A lot of schools this year have gone back with socially distant learning or making their kids take their classes online in their dorms.

One problem both colleges must face with having in person classes, is the rise of cases due to on campus partying and direct violations of Covid guidelines.

When asked if campuses should crack down on parties  Metcalfe had this to say, “I don’t think that college campuses should crack down on campus parties. College is where you are supposed to have the experiences of partying and adulting without the supervision and restrictions of parents. Face to face classes are already gone, campus parties can at least provide a sense of normalcy to the young adults entering this new world.”

When asked the same question Smith said “I absolutely believe that colleges should crack down on campus parties. These people who are choosing to willfully ignore the guidelines need to be punished and need to have the proverbial book thrown in their face. Whether that is by fine, no reimbursement for tuition, or something else doesn`t matter to me so long as they learn a lesson. I am sorry for throwing a rather strong opinion out there, but this is getting ridiculous and is not helping us in our efforts to defeat the virus.”

Because of the excessive partying on campuses across the country, some colleges have become a hot spot for Covid 19.

When asked if they were surprised that cases are rising at some colleges  Metcalfe had to say, “It is not surprising that cases have risen, the epidemic is something that can only be hopefully maintained but never entirely controlled until there is an effective vaccine.”

When asked the same question  Smith said “It is not surprising to me that that their cases have risen, and a big part of that has to do with what I mentioned above. Also, I was watching a college football game between Clemson and Notre Dame and you cannot convince me that they were not telling the virus where to go shove it with how they were acting.”

College is an exciting time in people’s lives.

College is most students first time they are away from their parents, and the first time they make their own decisions.

2020 is a weird year, it almost feels like its on pause. College kids want to go live their best lives as adults, but  as covid came it put their lives on hold. Hopefully in 2021 these kids who feel stuck in limbo will be able to resume as we come to a new normal.

Arts and Entertainment

My picks for top four albums of 2020

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2020 has been a hectic year full of sadness, loneliness, and disappointment.

We have been trapped within our houses with dwindling forms of entertainment to pass the time. Video games have been completed, television shows binged, and movie credits have rolled.

One consistent form of media that has consistent replay value is music. You’re cleaning your house and no matter how many times you have listened you are always up for throwing on a good album.  Even though we are in a pandemic, artists have been able to consistently put out amazing albums. These are the albums that have kept me going through these “trying times!”

  1. “Feet of Clay” (deluxe edition) by Earl Sweatshirt

Earl Sweatshirt is the Edgar Allen Poe of the rap game. Ever since the release of his debut album “Doris,” Earl has addressed dark topics in his lyrics such as themes of depression, mental health, broken families, and rising to fame at a young age. Dark undertones have been a constant in his music but only recently his sound has started to take an experimental change. On his most recent album “Feet of Clay,” Earl samples jazz music and distorts it to fit the dark vibe of the album. He also changes the way he used to rap to more of a spoken word form. Throughout this album you start to see what a tortured sole this man is and how much loss he had to go through. The best song of this album is the single EAST. The song uses this accordion sample on loop and Earl slightly distorts his vocals to create this uncomfortable feeling. In the lyrics of the song Earl addresses the relationships he lost, the death of his grandma, and the overall hopelessness he has.

  1. “Alfredo” by Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist

Freddie Gibbs has had an interesting evolution in his overall sound.  He has gone from generic underground hood anthems to this new refined sound. Not to say he hasn’t always been talented it’s just ever since 2014 album “Pinata” he has found a very consistent sound. The album itself is amazing, throughout my multiple listens of the album I could not get myself to skip a single song. The album feels like a Scorsese crime film where you follow the protagonist throughout his journey in the criminal underworld. It also has the same immaculate swagger of a Scorsese film. I must give The Alchemist props for the production of this album. I extremely enjoyed the different samples, especially how at the end of some of the songs they sample dialogue from old movies. The best song on the album is “Something to Rap About” featuring Tyler the Creator. The whole song has this chilled laid-back vibe which is complemented by Tyler and Freddie rapping about their come up and how they are currently living in luxury.

3. “Tickets to my Downfall” by Machine Gun Kelly

Machine gun Kelly or MGK as a rapper is a second-rate rapper at best. If you asked me to name you one of his previous albums, I could not. To be completely honest, I only know him from his public feud with Eminem. The transformation he has made on this album is crazy, he has gone from B list rapper to A list pop punk star. He masterfully captures that late 90s early 2000s Blink 182, Green Day type sound while also making it his own. I am really hoping to see more of this style from him because it just works so perfectly.

  1. “The P.U.K.E Mixtapes” volumes 1&2 by payday (favorite new artist)

Payday is a 16-year-old female rapper from Seattle. She has just released 2 mixtapes called the P.U.K.E tapes. The best way to describe her and her sound is that she is Billie Eilish if Billie Eilish could rap. Her sound is unique because it trades off from being melodic singing/rapping to boom bap style of rap. Her beat selection which can range from these slowed down kind of lo-fi beats to these fast tempo upbeat musical beats. Besides her beats she also demonstrates this extremely verbose vocabulary in her lyrics. Please don’t be surprised if she blows up in the next couple of years.

Sports

Esports flourish in a virtual world

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During the pandemic we have had a significant lack of sports due to social distancing. Golf courses where shut down, basketball and, football. Only recently we’ve had a return of some sports. During the lock down there has been a sport that took place in a virtual world and wasn’t affected by the lockdowns or social distancing at all.  Esports, esports has been the only sport that has managed to stay open during the pandemic do to the fact it doesn’t strictly require face to face interaction.

Ever since the rise of the medium there has been a debate between whether it is a sport or not. Some people believe it is because it requires focus, strategy, and determination. While others don’t think it is because they believe it only requires minimum effort.

When asked about this question David Arivella  the coach of the NECC Esports team said “Honestly in the beginning I did feel as though it wasn’t a real sport, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Even though you’re not physically moving your body the same as traditional sports, the amount of hand eye coordination, mental preparation, and skill required to excel in anything at a high level is tremendous.”

After getting over the argument of whether esports are a sport or not more, more people are seeing how lucrative the industry really is.

The highest paid team according to Statista is team Liquid whose total prize money comes out to 35 million dollars.

When asked on how profitable the industry is Arivella said “Extremely. Esports at the professional level will be in the billions in the coming years,”  because of the high demand and high prize pools and high demand we have seen some mainstream celebrities invest into Esports teams. According to looper, athletes and sports teams’ owners like Steph Curry, Michele Jordan and Robert Kraft have all invested into the industry.

The pandemic has caused the major problems logistically for most sports teams.

During a normal tournament for the pros they play in an arena with one team on one side and one team on the other. However, the pandemic has caused them to have to play from home.

However, this is fine because with a good Wi-Fi connection anything is possible. When asked about how the pandemic has affected practice for the NECC team Arivella had to say this, “The pandemic has not hampered NECC that much in terms of being able to play. Thankfully everyone has still found a way to play together. We all communicate over Discord (a messaging and voice chat app) almost daily. As for the industry, I think it is finding new ways to overcome the challenge.”

With most sports there is a separation of men and women, men in basketball compete in the NBA and women compete in the WNBA. This separation has caused a divide in viewership. However, in esports gender isn’t a divider, Women are fully able to compete in the pro leagues with the men.

When asked if gender plays a role in esports, Chris Long, captain of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team had this to say “It doesn’t at all. Gender doesn’t have anything to do with eSports at all, just performance and results,” what also make esports a viable sport is how inclusive it is. Since it mostly relies on mental  skills most people can play and get good, when asked about this Chris said “Everyone can do it as long as they have the will to practice, learn, and have fun with it.”

If you look online, you can see a ton of people who want to go pro. From all age ranges man or woman people want to reach that level but only few do. When asked to give advice on how to compete at the pro level Long had this to say “I’m not a pro, but if you really want to get good at something be passionate about it. Put time and practice into something you enjoy. This applies to any game or hobby.”

Esports has a overcome a lot of hurdles to get to this point. It still has ways more to go before its fully excepted as a legitimate sport by the masses.

Overall, the future of the sport look bright. When asked about the future Arivella said this: “The future of esports is only growing as video games are continuing to grow in popularity. Someday it may even overshadow traditional sports in the United States as it already has in countries like South Korea.”

Just like esports, football started as a game that was played amongst children. But as adults started to notice it intermural teams where formed and overtime it gained more and more of a following. So who’s to say that Esports won’t follow the same path as football or other mainstream sports.