Culture & Entertainment Notebook: Competitive gaming team established as newest club sport

Southeast Missouri State students can participate in regional and national video game competitions, thanks to the new eSports Gaming Club, new to the university.

With video games continuing to evolve worldwide, eSports competitions give gamers a chance to compete in the same vicinity while playing games such as "Madden NFL," "Call of Duty," "Halo," "Mario Kart," "FIFA" and "Fortnite," a fan favorite in 2018.

Eric Redinger, associate director of Recreation Services, helped steer the approval of eSports as a club.

"The eSports Gaming Club has existed on campus, but has never been truly organized to where it was eligible for funding through rec services" through the Student Government Association, Redinger said.

"Student government actually allocates out a certain amount of money for the clubs, then they trust my department to divvy out to those clubs, because we make sure that they're spending that money wisely," Redinger said.

Funding for clubs is primarily used for registration fees, fuel for away events and anything else that may benefit the club.

With roughly 14 members, the club hopes to spark interest in more students and encourages video game users to join.

"eSports is really providing students with the opportunity that they wouldn't have otherwise," Redinger said.

According to Forbes.com, "eSports is the new college football."

A few of those taking advantage of the unique opportunity are Nick Demos, Alex Pueschel and Logan Dunlap, who all represented Southeast last month at the FIFA '19 eSports Tournament in St. Louis.

The tournament brought a variety of competitors, spectators and media outlets, such as St. Louis radio station 101ESPN.

With so much attention around the tournament, Demos said the atmosphere was intense when it came time to play.

"It was very serious," Demos said. "The rules were very strict, and they had refs at each station."

With the champion having to win six games, none of the SEMO competitors finished as well as they had hoped, but still gained valuable experience from the tournament.

"We didn't do too well, but we stayed throughout the entirety of the tournament, and a lot of people were stoked that a college was there," Demos said.

The FIFA tournament showcased a wide range of competitors with representatives from two colleges, SEMO being one of them to individuals from all over including a competitor who drove from Columbus, Ohio.

Club members are planning to continue practicing in their preferred video game genre in preparation for future competitions.

"I was super stoked about this competition just to get my feet wet and get into the new environment, but definitely the next competition will be [first-person shooter] which is what I am much better at," Demos said.

A first-person shooter is a type of video game that allows gamers to see the full screen while navigating through the video game.

As the club continues to grow, there is hope among members for a gaming laboratory that can be created and used for practices or mock competitions.

Demos recommends students interested in video games to give it a try. He said the experience is thrilling and exciting while not being overly competitive.

As for what is next, Demos and other club members plan on frequently practicing their preferred games in preparation for upcoming future competitions.

Summer movie outlook

It's spring, which means it's almost summertime. Here's a list of sure-to-be box office hits to watch out for:

'Ugly Dolls' | May 3

Based on the popular toys of the same name, this animated musical comedy makes use of the talents of Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe, and more as the UglyDolls encounter a bizarre new town where everyone is perfect.

'Pokemon Detective Pikachu' | May 10

In this hybrid live-action/animation adventure, Ryan Reynolds lends his voice to the titular Pokemon, who discovers a young Pokemon trainer can hear his true voice and decides to help him unravel the mystery behind his father's disappearance.

'Aladdin' | May 24

The second of three live-action Disney remakes hitting theaters this year, "Aladdin" stars Mena Massoud as the titular street urchin, Will Smith as the genie he meets, and Naomi Scott as the princess he hopes to woo with the genie's help.

'Toy Story 4' | June 21

Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and the "Toy Story" cast are back in an all-new adventure that finds them trying to rescue a homemade toy named Forky (voiced by Tony Hale) when he and Woody get separated from the group during a road trip.

'Spider-Man: Far From Home' | July 5

In this follow-up to the 2017 character reboot, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) takes a trip to Europe with his classmates and meets Nick Fury, who wants him to team up with a new guy named Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) to battle some unusual creatures.

-- From rottentomatoes.com

Top 5 country songs:

• "Beautiful Crazy," Luke Combs
• "Tequila," by Dan + Shay
• "Here Tonight," by Brett Young
• "Look What God Gave Her," by Thomas Rhett
• "God's Country," by Blake Shelton

Top 5 pop songs:

• "7 Rings," by Ariana Grande
• "Sucker," by Jonas Brothers
• "Close To Me," by Ellie Goulding X Diplo Featuring Swae Lee
• "Without Me," by Halsey
• "Dancing With a Stranger," Sam Smith & Normani

-- From billboard.com

-- Southeast Missourian reporter Joshua Hartwig contributed to this report.