ESC: Camp for Esports is still kind of a new concept, why should parents and aspiring gamers be excited about it?
JB: Camps are a great way to meet new friends and really improve at the game you love playing. Many colleges are giving out higher scholarship amounts depending on skill, so camps are also a great way to help you get the additional scholarship dollars when you start applying for college at schools with esports programs.
ESC: You ran your first Esports Camp last summer – how did it go and what were some of your key takeaways?
JB: I think the camp went really well last year. A lot of the campers were students coming here on scholarship and many of them saw a big improvement before they even got on campus, which helped for our season. My biggest takeaway is that many students wanted more than 1 day for the camp, which is why we plan on offering a week long camp this year
ESC: We’re adding an overnight component to camp this year, how do you think campers will benefit from this option?
JB: I think campers will benefit by having more time to learn concepts and ideas that are impossible to learn in one day for League of Legends. Campers will also get an idea of what it is like to play college level esports with a similar schedule many of our players have.
ESC: Why do you think that League of Legends works well for camps?
JB: There is just so much information that goes into League of Legends that you could have a month long camp and learn something new everyday.
ESC: Also new to camp this year is a tournament, how do you see the end of the week tournament shaping the camp experience?
JB: I love the idea of having tournaments between camps. This gives the campers something to prepare for and gives them a true competitive experience as far as preparation for the matches. I think this will be a positive addition to the camp overall.
ESC: The weeklong camp will be successful for each camper if they leave camp with ____________? (fill in the blank)
JB: If each campers can leave camp with more information about how they can improve individually and as a team, I believe it will be a successful camp.
Justin Bragg is the Head Esports Coach of Illinois College and the Director for the Esports Camp at Illinois College July 22–26, 2019.
We are running esports camps with some of the best venues, teams, coaches and events around North America. As new dates and locations become available, signup to be the first to know.