Last week, our Esports society students, the Weston Waveriders, competed in a three-day inter-college LAN Esports tournament, the #TakeYourShot challenge. This was an opportunity for our students to compete against like-minded students from other colleges and build their skills in a high-pressure environment.

Our Esports Society is made up of many students from different courses across the college such as Computing, Engineering, A Levels and many more, all with a passion for gaming. It gives students the opportunity to game as part of a team in a competitive and social environment outside of their course, as well as join tournaments and represent Weston College with other students who have similar interests.

The competition was hosted by SGS College and their team, SGS FirstShot, ran the full live production, broadcast and event delivery. This was a seamless event that gave our students the chance to compete against SGS College, Swindon College, and even the Royal Army Esports team, the Royal Signals.

During the competition, our students competed in Overwatch and Valorant, working together to defeat the opposition and win their games. Our students did a fantastic job, winning every game and taking out the current British Esports Student Championship title holders.

The Valorant game against Swindon was particularly impressive due to our team initially being down 2-10 in the first half of the game, but with our students showing excellent resilience and determination, they made an incredible comeback with a final score of 14-12 to Weston Waveriders.

This was an excellent opportunity for students to further develop their teamwork, adaptability and communication skills, with players coordinating strategies in real-world, time-pressures environment. It also provides an excellent networking opportunity for players, building strong social connections with students from different college.

From an academic perspective, students can develop transferable skills such as leadership, time management, and critical thinking, while also gaining exposure to the growing Esports industry and potential careers in event management, broadcasting, game design, and more.

Will Price, Computing and Esports lecturer at Weston College, said, “Competitions like these are always a fantastic opportunity for our students to level up and promote themselves within the Esports industry whilst developing their confidence by competing against other well-known Esports college teams. It is amazing to see how far they’ve all come since September and I’m looking forward to see what they do next!”

This tournament forms part of the Digital Careers Excellence Hub. Weston College's Career Excellence Hubs are designed to be the launching pad for our learners' careers. In a world where connections and relevant skills matter more than ever, these hubs offer a holistic approach that prepares learners to thrive in their chosen industries. With the support of these hubs, our learners are well-equipped to make a significant impact in their professional journeys. 

Progress to the next level in Computing and Digital! At University Centre Weston (UCW) our students give us impressive feedback, with our latest National Student Survey results putting us above average in all nine areas! Find out more about our exceptional teaching, wellbeing services and learning resources by visiting our website. Click here!

If you are passionate about education and are looking for an opportunity to join the staff team at a leading college, then look at the latest job vacancies available at Weston College here. You can find all the latest job opportunities that Weston College has to offer, with a commitment to providing quality education for learners and a focus on continuous professional development for staff, Weston College is an excellent place to work and grow in your career.