The University of Minnesota Duluth’s delegation to the Red Bull Campus Clutch VALORANT tournament was eliminated after a loss to the University of Minnesota in this month’s regional qualifiers. But a loss in this tournament didn’t break sophomore electrical engineering student Ethan DeJesus’ spirits in regard to gaming with other college students.

UMD’s team was composed entirely of members from UMD’s esports club, which DeJesus said typically competes in collegiate League of Legends competitions.

“I enjoy competing in games competitively,” DeJesus said, “and we had a lot of fun [in the Campus Clutch tournament].”

DeJesus said the esports club plays a wide variety of games ranging from League of Legends to Rocket League and even Jackbox games, and is always looking for new members to join in the experience.

“There are a lot more gamers in Duluth than you’d realize,” DeJesus said, “and connecting with them is a lot of fun.”

Normally, the club would table in Kirby Student Center twice a year to connect with potential members, but restrictions on in-person gatherings have taken a hit on their recruitment efforts.

DeJesus, who is co-leading the club with a few other members next year, stressed the importance of trying out the esports community, even if you’re not certain it’s for you.

“If you're a little hesitant, I'd encourage you to at least show up once and see if you like it,” DeJesus said. “If it doesn’t end up working out, that’s okay, but I’d highly encourage people to put themselves out there and show up to something.”

As COVID-19 restrictions ease, the club is hoping to return to in-person gatherings, which DeJesus noted typically includes food, drinks and in-game rewards for members of the club.

Though the team fell in the VALORANT tournament, they may be eligible to enter Red Bull’s Solo Q tournament — a League of Legends tournament kicking off Aug. 30.

“We should have a pretty good team next [school] year,” DeJesus said, “so we should make it pretty far.”

The UMD esports club has a Facebook page and a Discord server that anyone interested in participating can join.