IRVINGTON, NJ — Irvington High School started an esports program this year.
The program is under the direction of Herbert Jackson, an English teacher at the school. Jackson has directed the school’s gaming club for approximately six years.
The esports program is slowly progressing, Jackson stated in an email to the Irvington Herald on Wednesday, Oct. 12. “We are playing in an already-established esports league, the Electronic Gaming Federation. We may also join the (North America Scholastic Esports Federation) league at some point, but currently EGF is our main focus. Our current roster is about 20 students, five of which are seniors. Our league has gotten underway. … There are two seasons, fall and spring, running from October to May. While the league offers the following games, Overwatch 2, Valorant, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Chess and Rocket League, our focus will be on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the time being. We still need some hardware to compete in other games.
“My own experiences in esports are varied,” continued Jackson. “Before becoming a teacher I was a semipro gamer myself back when the Microsoft Xbox 360 was the height of gaming. I played with teams in (Major League Gaming) Halo, as well as Battlefield: Bad Company 2. I never ranked very high. I worked for an event company, as an independent contractor, that hosted events for gaming, called Villain LLC, based out of Brooklyn, N.Y. So I’ve been in the esports scene for a while, but this is the first time I’ve ever coached or built a team based on gaming. As far as coaching, this is a first for me but I’ve worked with these students for years as their Gaming Club adviser.”
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