BRTC Announces Esports Extravaganza Final Winners

Black River Technical College (BRTC) held a semester-long Esports Extravaganza contest.

In the Stage 4 finale, a tournament was held utilizing BRTC’s suite of PlayStations and Xboxes. Corresponding with their placing in stage 4, students were awarded $150, $50, and $25 in Black Hawk Bucks, redeemable at The Coffee Shop, The Black River Grill, and the BRTC Bookstore.

Placing first was Connor Murray. Second place went to Gracie Paschal. Third was Taylor Crosson.

During the spring semester, students were awarded points for logging visits to esports, and bonus points were awarded to first through third place in the PC and console tournaments. Gracie Paschal, a computer technology major, narrowly defeated Taylor Crosson with her second-place bonus points in stage 4, and has won a new PlayStation 5!

“I am thrilled to see our students enjoying their downtime and taking part in our extracurricular offerings on campus, said Director of Student Development Dane Dillion. “Not only are they doing something they enjoy, there are many other benefits of playing video games that just happen to align with several of our general education outcomes: information literacy, critical thinking, and communication. Yes, at the most basic it’s play. But to be successful in the gaming arena, they have to build their skill, and this takes researching the latest techniques and practicing their implementation. They sometimes have to think very quickly about how to proceed in their game for a successful outcome (i.e. winning) and many of the games they play are in team mode, necessitating quick and efficient communication.”

Visit the esports arena or contact Dillion at (870) 248-4158 or dane.dillion@blackrivertech.edu for more information.