NPTC Group of Colleges welcomed Welsh gaming stars John Jackson AKA Slayer and Lois Samuel AKA Kitsch to formally open the brand new Esports suite at Neath College
College staff and students were joined by the Mayor of Neath Port Talbot, Cllr. Robert Wood and the Mayoress Mrs Sylvia John, as well as Esports Wales CEO John Jackson and Esports Wales Female Ambassador Lois Samuel.
Eira Williams, Director of Studies for the School of Computing and Digital Technology, is delighted to have an Esports academy and dedicated Esports suite at Neath. Work began on this project in November 2021 and Extended Diploma in IT students assisted from the outset.
She explains:
“Two students that were instrumental in developing this project were John Hughes and Logan Munday. They both put in a lot of work and were determined in their efforts to get the academy off the ground, along with two members of our fabulous Computing and Digital Technology teaching team, Chris Manley & Gwyn Perry, who developed and nurtured the project from its inception.”
John and Logan said they came up with the idea of an Esports academy after thinking it would be a great way to form a community and meet new people. The highlight for them so far is the first time they saw the suite with all the equipment in it and it has given them a sense of accomplishment. Both Morgan and John completed their studies at college last year but returned to see the results of their hard work and effort.
The college teams took part in their first Esports matches on the 26th of January 2022, with the NPTC Crimson Ravens team playing Overwatch and the NPTC Magic Missiles playing Rocket league.
John Jackson, who formally opened the suite, said it was great to see the college getting behind Esports and helping to develop the next generation of Esports Wales players. He also added:
“It’s great to be here today to open the suite and to see the students playing in the British Esports Championships against other colleges around the UK. It’s brilliant to see so many teams coming out of Wales and competing at a high level. It’s amazing that the college is getting behind these teams to give them a platform to develop and hopefully break into the national team.”
John also explained what Esports is for those who were unsure: “Esports is competitive video gaming and has been around for a few years now. It can be as an individual or playing in a team and the teams work together like they would in traditional sport and play against other players from around the world.”
The culture of Esports is not just about playing games, it can help individuals boost strategic thinking, teamwork, communication, leadership, performance skills and confidence building. The college is more than happy to be associated with the ethos of Esports Wales through their values of Courage, Humour, Integrity, Excellence, Family & Success, and commitments of respect for the rules and opponents along with opposing discrimination & cheating.
Lois Samuel, who is the Female Ambassador for Esports Wales and a former NPTC Group of Colleges student, had this message to any girls who want to get involved in Esports:
“Go for it, it doesn’t matter that you’re a girl just go and do it, because I sat down and thought I can’t do anything in Esports because I’m a girl and now I’m an ambassador, a coach and I play League of Legends every day. If you genuinely love gaming, then don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it because you absolutely can.”
For anyone who is looking to get into Esports and aspires to play for Wales, there are several opportunities to get into it. Esports Wales suggests that you play for your college or university team, but they also hold several tournaments throughout the year, and it allows them to scout the best talent from around Wales.
If you are interested in studying within our Computing and Digital Technology department, please follow the link below.
If you would like to find out more information about Esports Wales, then please click on the link below.
Computing and Digital Technology
