In a landmark decision, The University of Oklahoma
has created a Director of Esports and Co-Curricular Innovation role andappointedMike “Moog”Aguilar, Lead Advisor for the OU Esports Club, to the position.This makes OU the first Big 12 Universitytofully endorse an esports program and name a Director of Esports
In addition to namingAguilar a director, OU also plans to merge current functions of the club into its own department under Student Affairs. Viewable now on their website, “Esports and Co-CurricularInnovation” will be fully realized within the next two years.This is to be the culmination of effortsfrom the founding student officers and up-and-coming leadership of the past two years. Mike and OU Esports Leadership havelaid the groundwork for this evolution to take place, and it has taken years of dedication from everyone to reach this point.
The most exciting part about thisannouncement, especially for us at Sooner Esports, is the “Co-Curricular Innovation” aspect. Thoseunfamiliar withesports often mistakenly viewit solely as competitive videogaming, and they will oftenignorethe other fundamental surrounding areas.
Welcome @MoogDiesel as Dir. of Esports & CoCurricular Innovation @UofOklahoma - Mike’s been an inspiring advisor to our @OUEsports community & I can’t wait to see continued community building, curriculum design & professional development. In short, we ain’t just playin games ⭕️🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/ghZWcEZb6Y
— Dr. David Surratt (@DrDavidSurratt) September 23, 2020
The OU Esports Club prides itself on developing these other subjects, often known as our pillars. These pillars include News and Media, Fundraising, Streaming Production, Shoutcasting, Community, and Leadership. Sooner Esports passionately believes that collegiate esports cannot thrive without the pillars. Without them, esports programs will fail to emulate the real job opportunities that exist in esports and they will not be prepared for the work.
This philosophy has been in mind since the founding of the club.StudentsJack “JackLovesLamp” Count and Alex “AgentA2” Tu developed thesefoundational pillars withAguilar. They found that many students loved gaming, and as such, wanted programming and eventssurrounding that. However, to do so, they would need to develop a sustainable system that was more than just competitive gaming. Using theirexperience, Count and Tu went on tohelp create GetRECt, an esportscompany organizingtournaments in Oklahoma.The path Count and Tu led after college highlights the importance ofnon-competitiveaspects of esports and gaming inthe collegiate space.
OU Esports’ current President, Jasmine Graves was one of the first to join.“I saw a flyer on a board at Walker when I was a freshman,”said Graves, “I lovegaming, so I wanted to help develop the gaming and esports culture at OU.”
GetRECt
GetRECt is now a strategic partner of the club. Learn more about them by clicking the image above!
That desire to foster the gaming spirit and culture at OU led toPresident Graves pushing further for administration at the university to accept and eventually endorse the club. On the recent decision, Graves said, “OU helping us expand academically means they’re listening to what their students want… [They’re] helping open the door to so many opportunities in gaming and esports for their students.”
Esports caneven be a determining factor in where students choose to go for college. Zachary Satz,currentMarketing Director for the OU Esports Club, wrote about his meeting with Aguilar at a gaming conference.Satzwas able “to formally discuss esports, along with the leadership he had brought.” This meeting, he said, ultimately “helped solidify [his] choice to come to OU.”
Since joining the club, Satz has loved his time at OU, and he finds his work rewarding and challenging. “The biggest challenge is definitely keeping up with gaming memes and trends,” Hesaid, discussing his role in marketing with the club, “with memes and fun posts, it feels like you sort of have to read the room.” These skills, he hopes, will eventually transfer to a job in Esports–perhaps now to a job within esports at OU.
Besides serving the OU, the organizationlooks toserve all Oklahomans.When asked what he thinksthe club does best, Director Satzwrote that “the biggest real-world impact the club has is giving back to the community.” The OU Esports Club regularly runsfundraising events, such as our most recent onehelpingMake-a-Wish Oklahoma.
In addition to this, the organization has hosted orparticipated in eventsto raise funds forCovid-19 relief and the non-profit Extra Life. OU Esports also plans to partner with sponsors to continue efforts to help the local communitywhile helping provide OU students with practicum experience, with more details coming soon in our Discord.
Documentary
Director Satz, when part of the News & Media team, was a pivotal member of creating OU XP, our premiere documentary about the origins and future of the club.
While this may seem overwhelming at first, President Graves had this to say to students hesitant to join and get involved: Start with the Discord, where it is okay to lurk, and ease yourself into it. “We know that some gamers are introverted, so we don’t want to put any pressure on anyone,” She said, ensuring that the club seeks to take care of all of their members no matter the anxieties, “If you ever want to talk or participate, then you can do it when you’re comfortable.”
All this is only the beginning, and there is so much to cover in our history and who OU Esports iscurrently. Due to this, Sooner Esports is currently planning OU XP 2.0, a follow-up documentaryto OU XP to serve as an update and a better understanding of the future.
The club would also like tothank everyone for their continued support through these strange times.Stay well and stay safe.
