Ole Miss Esports Scores Big at World Tournament

Ten Ole Miss Esports members competed in January at the world competition in Sydney, Australia. As a team, they finished No. 1 among U.S. contingents and No. 4 overall.

The invitation-only tournament includes matches across multiple games as well as a business pitch competition, a debate and a game design competition.

"Pairing academics and esports showed our students another side of what we do in this department," said John McDermott, director of the esports program. "Some people think esports is just playing video games, or that other sports like basketball and softball are just about playing the game.

"But in reality, there are so many more levels to it, whether it be working with other companies and getting the opportunity to make connections that can one day help you get jobs or pitching ideas that you have, or getting to meet with foreign students, experience their culture and potentially work with them in the future."

After a week of competition, Ole Miss students ranked No. 1 in League of Legends, second in Rocket League, third in debate and sixth in game design. They also tied fourth and fifth place for Valorant.

"This really shows where we stand on the international map and our ability to give unique experiences to our students," McDermott said. "We recruited three new League of Legends players this past semester, and this was their first experience with the team. This was their welcome to the school."

One of those students is Bradley Benneyworth, a junior computer science major from Panama City Beach, Florida. Benneyworth joined Ole Miss Esports after competing at the professional level in League of Legends.

"I'm getting to meet the new faces at my school that I'll be playing alongside and working with, while also getting to travel to somewhere that I haven't been and playing with people across the globe," he said.

The combination of esports and academic competition helps students diversify their interests, Benneyworth said.

"When you involve academics with esports, you're shaping the people that are competing into more well-rounded, more versatile individuals," he said. "You're developing more skills that way, just because it entails more things you don't normally have to think about."

Unlike many tournaments, the competition included free time for students to explore and experience Australia, McDermott said. Students toured Sydney's zoo, docks, city and famous opera house while they weren't competing.

"One of the days, I had a free morning, so I went down and just walked around for a good four hours," said Cason Logas, a graduate student in computer science from Dallas. "I went to the Botanical Gardens, down to the harbor, through downtown."

Logas also created a civilization-building game for the game design competition, despite never having designed a game before.

"It was a blast," he said. "And it was absolutely amazing meeting so many people from so many different areas of the globe. I don't get to play against other people from other regions all the time. So, understanding how they think about the games was very, very eye-opening."

But the best part of the trip was getting to play the games they enjoy on an international stage, Benneyworth said.

"I'm a gamer at heart, so I do honestly think my favorite memory was just competing," Benneyworth said. "Australia is beautiful, and I enjoyed getting to see Australia. But I really enjoyed winning in Australia."

Top: UM students Carson Logas (left), Raymond Griffin, Amine Ez-zejjari and Anna Marie Turner enjoy dinner and a view of the Sydney, Australia, skyline during the Academic Esports World Tournament. The team finished as the top American team in the competition. Photo courtesy John McDermott