Gaming success for Coventry College Esports team

@CoventryCollege’s Esports team is celebrating after finishing second in a national tournament featuring 70 teams.

A group of the College’s Games Design students – known as the Coventry Crimson – narrowly missed out on glory in the finals of the Digital Schoolhouse Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Team Battle 2020.

The tournament saw more than 200 students across the UK pitting their wits against each other in a series of team and individual duels in the fighting game.

Coventry Crimson secured their place in the final before the Coronavirus pandemic with a four-game winning streak, but had to wait seven months for the final before they eventually lost 3-1 to New College Swindon.

Their runner-up medal comes hot on the heels of the College’s other Esports team, the Coventry Crosshairs, who were also named as one of the top four College Esports teams in England after making it to the semi-finals of the British Esports Association’s Overwatch Tournament, which also saw around 70 colleges competing against each other.

Garrick Davies has been with the Coventry Crimson team – which has been dedicated to performing on the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate game –  from the start both as a supporter and coach, and praised how far the group has come in a short space of time.

He said: “The team was incredibly disappointed after losing the final – which shows how dedicated they are – but I reminded them to take a step back and look at what they have achieved in under a year.

“The team has recruited new students for this year, but it was only right that we were able to bring back some of our old players for the Digital Schoolhouse final who had played a key role earlier in the year in getting the side to this point.

“Coventry Crimson is only just over a year old now but we are building an exciting project here – which replicates an elite Esports environment – and is truly helping to bring through the next generation of Esports professionals.”

Coventry Crimson’s success has coincided with the side’s team manager, Shoubna Naika-Taylor, recently representing Coventry College at the British Esports Association’s Esports in Education Summit, where she spoke about how to integrate Esports into an education setting.

She added: “Both of the College’s Esports teams’ journey over the past year has reinforced the importance of Esports within education – not just as a future career, but for the other benefits it delivers as well. 

“Alongside their studies both teams have enabled them to grow as individuals and develop skills that they can apply to other areas of their lives – whether it is problem solving, resilience, celebrating achievements and working as a team.”