January 21, 2022 - 1236 views
Students from two of Coleg Llandrillo’s esports teams beat their adversaries from the USA in thrilling encounters as part of the World Esports Day initiative.
The college’s ‘Dragon Hydras’ and ‘Drakes’ esports teams took part in a live-stream event in partnership with the British Esports Association, as part of the World Esports Day charitable event.
The Llandrillo Computing students faced-off against two different schools from the Garden State Esports League, New Jersey - Centre School and Barnegat High School - live on Twitch, winning both of the tightly-fought matches!
They played two of the biggest esports titles during their online battles: Overwatch and Valorant. There was one British caster (gaming term for a commentator in a live event) and one US caster for each show match in the event.
One of Coleg Llandrillo’s team captains and ‘star player’, Mitch Thomas, 19, from Conwy - who is studying on the Esports Level 3 - National Foundation Diploma course - said: “What a fantastic experience: not only did we get the chance to play live against teams from the USA, but we came away victorious from both matches.
“This is one of the first big things that British esports has organised against the USA. It was great for the Coleg Llandrillo Computing students to be involved in such a prestigious event.”
Esports Wales and the Garden State Esports League faced a logistical challenge due to the five-hour time difference. So, to accommodate their US counterparts, the students at the college’s Rhos-on-Sea campus had to wait until late afternoon to do battle.
Coleg Llandrillo was one of only two colleges chosen to represent Wales by the British Esports Association. The other was Gower College Swansea.
The event supported COVAX, which is working for global equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. To find out more information, and to donate, go to https://worldesportsday.com/donate/
Earlier this year to meet huge demand, Coleg Llandrillo announced that it would also be offering an A-level-equivalent qualification in esports. Learners are taught within the brand new £120,000, state-of-the-art Virtual Reality Suite at the college group’s Rhos-on-Sea campus.
Esports is part of a multi-billion pound worldwide industry with no physical barriers, and this innovative qualification will afford students with real career prospects in the burgeoning UK market, as well as gaining access to global industries in the US, Asia and Europe.
As a new co-owner of an esports business, even David Beckham is getting in on the act!
Coleg Llandrillo’s Games Development department has had an unbelievable few years, after securing partnerships with some of the world’s most successful electronics and gaming brands. It has been registered as both Xbox and Nintendo developers, which is a possible first for any college or university in the UK! Further to this, it is now part of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s global academic programme - PlayStation First.
In addition, BAFTA-winning Coleg Llandrillo Games Development tutor Rob Griffiths, who was presented with this year’s prestigious ‘Further Education Academic Award’ for his ground-breaking initiatives in the world of games development and computing, was recently appointed as a non-executive director for Esports Wales, the national body for esports in Wales.
