“It’s just a better opportunity to create a more inclusive space where friendships can grow even stronger.”
From March 11 to 17, the uOttawa Esports club will be hosting will hold Esports Showcase Week, an event which will include open play, coaching sessions, presentations, and a competitive weekend tournament. The event will be held at the University of Ottawa’s Brian Dickson Law Library (FTX).
The showcase, a collaboration between Professor Thomas Burelli, the Library and the uOttawa Esports club, will highlight popular games such as League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, Dota 2, and Valorant. Registration links for presentations are now open.
Since their founding in 2019, finding a physical space for the uOttawa Esports club has been the group’s top priority, says club co-president, Scarlett Ramos.
“For many years, since our predecessors, we have been trying to possibly get a room for esports at the University of Ottawa, because esports is [progressing] so fast,” she said.
“This year, with help from professor Burelli, the Faculty of Law and many other people, we were able to secure a room in the [Brian Dickson Law Library]. Our plan at the moment is to do a trial of how an esports room could look in the future.” Ramos added how planning towards the showcase week has been ongoing over the past year.
Co-president Jessica Guo added how other Canadian universities have physical spaces for their esports teams, usually computer labs, for members to meet and play together.
“The reason why we’re looking for an esports room is to create space, physically, for a community of students who are equally passionate about gaming,” she said. “It’s just a better opportunity to create a more inclusive space where friendships can grow even stronger.”
On Dec. 2 and 3, 2023, the University of Ottawa’s esports club held their first pan-university event: Pandemonium. The face-off between U of O’s team and Carleton’s esports team was a tournament, modeled after the infamous Panda Games held every year between the two schools.
Ramos highlighted how in-person events, such as Pandemonium, help further establish a greater presence in their university communities.
“I think that is always the endgoal for any esports club across Canada or across the world. They want to be able to host LAN in-person games so that people can come see the universities, see what we have to offer, but also see what the esports club has to offer.”
(And yes, the U of O won this tournament too). Like their namesake, the uOttawa Esports team hopes to hold Pandemonium every year, growing their following year over year.
On the first day of Pandemonium, teams competed at Call of Duty and Overwatch 2, both of which Carleton’s team won. Turning the competition around the second day, U of O’s team swept League of Legends, Rocket League and Valorant, clutching the overall win 3 to 2.
Both Guo and Ramos are hoping that both gaming and non-gaming members will not only enjoy the opportunities to play or learn new games, but also enjoy the presenters and workshops, such as a panel on health and wellness in Esports with Doc Respawn (Dr. Jordan Tsai), an Esports physical therapist.
“For our esports players, I want them to take this as an opportunity to play in-person and be able to see that little by little, we’ll gain a room at the university,” Ramos explained.
