If you’re a competitive or casual gamer who wants to express your love for gaming, then Woodhaven High School’s Videogame Club is the spot for you. From playing casual games with friends to competing in competitions all over the state, Videogame Club might just be what you’re looking for.
The Videogame Club is for students of all ages. Whether they are pros at gaming or just starting, anyone can participate in the club and get experience from other players or members. In an interview with Mr Taylor, he said, “It’s preferred if you have experience already playing a game. But we do have students who have never played some of these games before, and they start practicing with us. They might not compete right away, but they can still be part of the team and learn more about the game.”
The club meets on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and sometimes on Thursdays. The club has two seasons, a fall season and a spring season that’s coming up. The club is advised by Mr. Taylor, a marketing instructor and DECA advisor at Woodhaven High School. The club meets in the CAD lab in Mr. Bernstein’s classroom.
In the club, Mr. Taylor primarily has Nintendo Switches and Nintendo Switch title games like Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. You’re able to bring your game console to play if he allows it. They also have PC’s that the school provides, which are available for more online gaming, such as Rocket League and Valorant.
Before the start of the next season, Mr. Taylor will make an announcement and have a meeting about recruiting new members for competitions. The recruits won’t compete right away, but they will have a chance to learn from last season’s team, who’ve competed before. The Michigan High School esports league, or MHSEL, hosts competitions all over the state. It’s typically governed by principles and superintendents all over the state. The MHSEL is limited to only 10 game titles that they can support. Games like Overwatch, Fortnite, 2k, or Madden are supported. However, according to Mr Taylor about those games, “There are some other game titles that we don’t currently compete in, but it’s just because… enough interest to be able to put a full team together.” However, this season’s competitions are going to be held at Oakland University.
The expectations for the video game club are to be respectful, polite, and professional. As members are competing with other schools and showing their skills on the screen. One of Mr. Taylor’s biggest rules for video game clubs is no trash-talking. As he wants everyone to support each other. “You know, we’ve got guys and girls on the team. We’ve got a variety of ages, from some freshmen that compete with us to seniors. You know, all kinds of different walks of life, people come together because, you know, video games, anyone can play it, anyone can do it. And so we try to make sure that we’re inclusive. You know, we try to practice good sportsmanship.”
The video game club is a great way to interact with people who share a common interest: gaming. Over the years, video games have evolved to the point that playing video games can become a profession. Some former Woodhaven students have gone on to compete at the college level of gaming.
