Maties Esports clinched gold, silver and two bronze medals at the USSA Esports Championships in August 2025, excelling in Valorant, EA FC and Rocket League, and cementing our status as true champions in a virtual sporting arena.
For those few who are not gamers: Valorant is a shooter game, in which our teams Odin and SU Bravo won gold and bronze; EA FC, a football simulation game, earned us a silver medal; and Rocket League, a vehicular‐football game, brought us bronze.
If you think this is just a geeky pastime and not a real sport, think again. The IOC has announced plans to introduce an Olympic Esports Games event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2027, following a unanimous vote by the IOC session in Paris this year.
Gaming has long been regarded as a sport by millions of players who compete strategically and with precision, using fine motor skills and mental agility — ever since major competitions began in the late 1980s. Today, tournaments such as global esports championships attract tens of millions of live viewers, and professional players compete for prize pools exceeding $6 million.
“Games are high stress,” says Maties player Samuel Ruben, a second-year BCom student who represented South Africa in Turkey in 2023. “Each game lasts between 30 to 50 minutes and requires intense mental focus. We can burn up to 1,000 calories in a final.”
So much for the pizza-eating stereotype of an antisocial blob in a dark room! “There are those,” laughs Sam, “but being a competitive student-athlete requires discipline in all areas: study, training, competition, and balance in real life.”
“For major competitions we train three hours a day, develop strategies, run through scenarios — and we also do physical prep. Our wrists take a beating and need care, and it’s important to maintain good posture to avoid back issues. Building stamina and mental focus is primary, so gym work helps a lot.”
Ruben Marshall, a second-year BSc Computer Science student who started gaming on Xbox at age four, insists that the Maties Esports team are definitely well-adjusted athletes: “Esports is my passion, but I do have a life, and I’m blessed with talent outside gaming. I also play for Maties Hockey.”
Maties Esports is an inclusive club where anyone with a passion for gaming can find a fellowship of kindred spirits. Karla de Beer, third-year BSc Food Science student and the only woman currently on the Maties competitive Esports team, speaks out: “Right now, the club is about 20 percent female, and I urge more women to join us. It is a safe space where we have equal opportunity, but we need more of us visible. There are so many talented women out there — join us, because the more of us there are, the more we can shine.”
