Some Distractions are a Good Thing

Video games and cellphones serve as distractions from the perspective of most professors, but some aspects of OWU campus life revolve around the use of both tools.

OWU ESports captain, Andrew Constable, says that obviously: without Video Games we wouldn’t have an ESports team. He explains that phones actually have a great deal of assistance in making sure things go smoothly for practices.

The team uses their phones to look up frame data for the competitions. Frame data is a set of information that isn’t easily memorized, and having the resource easily accessible for each member of the team is important.

Constable also personally values his phone’s ability to play music while competing. “It lets me zone into the match in my own way.”

He finds that this also helps his team in competition, or some players even just use the headphones to create complete silence.

Phones also allow students to connect and communicate with students from other universities. This opens the door to scrimmages which can really benefit the team in terms of in game performance as well as morale.

One student on the team, Hayden Kelner, explained his relationship with systems like the Nintendo Switch outside the arena and its ability to help him unwind throughout the busy school day.

“It’s portable, and that makes it easy to take out whenever I need a break,” Kelner said.

He explained how the system helps him connect with his friends as well as get involved with Greek life organizations through multiplayer games.