Dallas College is poised for another season as the new esports program enters its second year. Students will have an opportunity to compete with colleges across the country in the most popular games on the circuit and a chance at a national title in fall and spring semesters.

Krasimir Kolarov, director of esports at Dallas College, said he was surprised at the success of the program’s first season.

Aahil Ajani, a student, made the national competition in the basketball video game NBA2K22. Ajani’s opponent went undefeated the entire season. “I was the only player in the entire league to get a win in the round, much alone two wins, yet I still lost by one game,” Ajani said. “It’s an amazing opportunity to compete with colleges from all around the U.S. that you’ve never heard of.”

The team who competed in Overwatch went to the playoffs, getting knocked out in the second round.

Each campus has 10 PCs with mechanical keyboards and gaming mice. “We’re looking at adding additional consoles so students can compete in an environment they are more used to with some games,” Krasimir said.

Each campus will have a coach for the Fall 2022 semester. Last semester there were only three coaches covering all campuses, Krasimir said.

Students will not be restricted to practicing only at their home campus. A student who attends classes at Brookhaven Campus but lives closer to Eastfield Campus can use Eastfield’s facilities to train. “That’s one of the good things about the program at Dallas College,” Krasimir said. “I played at Mountain View while attending Brookhaven last year because Brookhaven didn’t have a website built for esports yet,” Ajani said. “Since Dallas College oversees all the colleges, everything works out.”

Students are recruited through events around campus, flyers and emails. To be part of the program, competitors must be full-time students and maintain a 2.0 GPA, according to the bylaws set by National Junior College Athletic Association Esports, or NJCAAE. “It’s a terrific opportunity because scholarships are available as well if you perform exceptionally well,” Ajani said. “Before you join, make sure you can balance Esports and education, as it is really important.” 

The NJCAAE season is generally nine weeks long and offers students 12 titles per semester.