Just a short ride up the elevator of the multipurpose building and just down the hall is something that would’ve been unthinkable to most a few years ago. However, times have changed, and the newly formed Texas High esports team is a testament to that. Paving the way for the future of THS sports, the esports team presents many unique opportunities and experiences for its members.

Under Coach Richard Allen’s leadership, the esports team is growing and preparing for an eventful year. The team meets in Room 6 on the second floor of the multipurpose building. Practices are held Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

“It’s competitive video gaming. We don’t focus on maybe more of the most popular games, we focus on the ones that have scholarship opportunities and ways to use your skills and your hobbies to make money and get education after school,” Allen said. “So, it’s set up very much like regular sports. There’s not a lot of hanging around and just playing video games.”

In regards to scholarships and education, esports is ever-evolving in the many opportunities that it provides. It has become a viable option for many students who are passionate about video gaming to pursue higher education.

“When I first started [coaching esports], it was a big deal. There were 200 scholarships available. Now, it’s thousands. There’s thousands of scholarships, hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships available,” Allen said. “The people who aren’t athletes at all, this is one of their only opportunities to get scholarships.”

As interest and opportunity grow, it’s being recognized by some as a new and important part of culture, even gaining large stadiums specifically for these events.

“It gets pretty insane. They've got actual arenas now that are huge. One of the things I want to do is take my team to Dallas and play in the Arlington arena. They're building one in Shreveport, and rumors are that they're trying to get one here in Texarkana,” Allen said. “It's just growing. It's [a] multi-billion dollar business. It's all STEM-based. Everything from tech to putting these computers together to running LANs. I mean, it's next-level education, you know, when you really think about it.”

Even though this is his first year at Texas High, Allen has been involved in the esports field for years, showing not only the longevity and prominence of esports but also the dedication and passion Allen has for it.

“I’ve been teaching for 15 years, I've been doing the esports thing at Liberty Eylau for five years, so this isn't new to me,” Allen said. “It was great. We had a lot of support from [administration] — didn't have a lot of monetary support, but I had about 30 kids at first and went to the playoffs every year.”

The formation of the team was a perplexing move to some at the school largely because many don’t understand the growing sport. However, it’s nothing new; esports has a history and has been around for decades. Its recent surge in popularity has only brought much more attention and support.

“I've been involved with esports for about 20 years now. I've got three children, they're all grown up when they were little, I got to play a lot of video games,” Allen said. “At the time, I entered ladder tournaments, and my little team won a couple grand and some video cards [by] playing Rainbow Six Raven Shield [in] ‘99 or 2000. So I think it's always been growing, but lately in the last five years, a lot of companies and a lot of people have seen how it's a moneymaker.”

Despite esports becoming more renowned and recognized, the events and competitions can be sporadic and uneven. This is dependent upon each state and their schools’ esports organizations.

“Next semester, I'm hoping to get into the spring competition at PlayVS or High School Esports League. That starts in March, and we're matched up with teams in the Central Time Zone, so we could play anybody from Chicago to Houston,” Allen said. “We can play a 5A team all the way down to a 1A team. The competition in esports right now is being fleshed out, and I'm not happy with it. I'm hoping to influence the esports scene to make it more acceptable.”

To build upon their skills, Allen has enlisted the help of renowned gaming company Cloud9.

“We've been working with Cloud9, which is a professional gaming company similar to the Dallas Cowboys or something like that in traditional sports, and their coaches have been coaching my kids up, and it's been really, really impressive,” Allen said. “He'll take them and watch them and tell them all his secrets. It's only been going on two weeks, and I can already tell they're getting a lot better.”

Not only is Cloud9 assisting Allen and other teams with their budding esports teams, but they are also at the forefront of the development of esports in high schools across the country. Through Cloud9, Texas High is becoming a significant player in building the high school esports scene.

“Cloud9 is something that’s very impressive to me. They have this program called training grounds. They offered it to select high schools; we were one of 10 high schools that is working with Cloud9 to develop a high school esports league,” Allen said. “The competition right now is subpar, that is the company that's going to take it to the next level and make it legit and real.”

Even though the competitive side is still under heavy development, our team is already proving to be strong and dedicated, according to the coach.

“I've been very impressed with my players. I've seen kids start to show up to school more to make sure they're competing and practicing,” Allen said. “I've been very surprised at some of the talent these students have. Excitement, dedication, I would say that that's the number one thing I was impressed with. I was so worried that nobody would show up, and everybody shows up. The dedication and the excitement is great.”

With many things on the horizon for both the Texas High team and the organization of esports as a whole, there is much to look forward to for the coaches, players and anyone interested. Furthermore, Allen thinks the Texas Tigers will play an important role in this booming industry

“It’s the first thing I think about when I wake up, last thing I think about when I go to sleep. For me personally, it's been frustrating at times, but it has been worth every single bit of frustration,” Allen said. “I look around the room; I can see where we're at, and I look around the room a second time and see where we're going. I just see just a huge program coming out of Texas High. I think this is going to be one of the most dominant esports programs in the country.”