‘I play to have fun, but also to win’

The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) eSport contingent recently claimed first place overall at the University Sports South Africa (USSA) eSports Tournament held at the Durban University of Technology (DUT).

A total of 130 students from 11 South African universities competed in the two-day tournament, and Mikayla Nickel – a UCT third-year BCom economics and finance student – came first in the FIFA women’s category. Several UCT players also finished first and second in their respective sport.

“I’ve been in the eSport arena for close to 10 years. I love football; I love watching and playing it, and with FIFA I found that I am creating the game and making things happen; the players are doing what I say they must do, and seeing that play out is enjoyable for me because there’s also opportunity to learn new skills and tactics,” said Nickel.

“The win is about hard work paying off, training, and the balancing act of being a student with other interests too. I play to have fun, but also to win.”

Team manager and third-year law and psychology student Caitlin Bloom quietly observed the team’s preparation and their performance over the two-day tournament, noting, “Going into the competition, the mindset was to win – and we wanted the players to know that it was possible for them to win. It was about them showcasing their skill; because at the end of the day, gaming is a fun sport, and talent often pushes through most when you’re having fun.”

“The players were invested in their craft. The nerves were there; however, the players rallied around one another and there was a good reliance on one another for support. The camaraderie could be felt even though players were playing individual games. There was cheering and encouragement, like any other team sport. Nerves quickly turned to excitement – especially after the first day, because we returned with amazing results,” said Bloom.

“The success at the tournament legitimises how well our players have done.”

Nickel recalled that the opposition team members from DUT and Stellenbosch University proved to be her toughest and trickiest opponents; on one occasion because it took her a while to settle into the game, and on the other because she was beset by nerves.

“I see it [FIFA] as a real-life game with real tactics, and it’s just about asking the question: what would you do in a situation like this, as a real manager? I use those thoughts and ideas. And remember, one doesn’t have to be a natural from the get-go. I had an interest in it, and now we’re here,” added Nickel.

Bloom added: “The success at the tournament legitimises how well our players have done. There is fierce competition in the eSport realm, so it’s about managing expectations and not letting the competition get into anyone’s head: not being arrogant, but also not holding back.”

Regarding next year’s competition, said Bloom, “the aim is to train harder, fix some of the pitfalls we had in the competition, and come out a stronger team. But retaining our title will be first prize.”

For Nickel, a fascinating observation for her was that “seeing the number of women who were at DUT was awesome. It was good to see how the sport has grown [because] the eSports club has been interested in expanding their women’s teams, and seeing growth in that realm was a success.”

*The team that competed for UCT included Kaiden Wessels, David Dlamini, Unathi Albanie, Rodney Nxumalo, Kagiso Moagi, Alcheden Visagie, Alex France, Matthew Alberts, Wavhudi Mudzanani, Dzialwa Nemakonde, Chidiebere Umah, Zwivhuya Phalanndwa, Nicholas Matzopoulos, Ethan Leukes and Lelethu Jeremiah.