WASHINGTON — Inside a packed gaming lounge at Howard University, students huddle around screens, controllers in hand, deep in competition. But Howard Esports Gaming isn’t just about winning matches.
The organization is gaining recognition in the industry, competing in college tournaments and collaborating with well-known companies like Warner Bros. Members see gaming as more than just entertainment—it’s an opportunity to educate, connect communities, and build careers.
Since launching in 2022, Howard Esports has provided students a pathway into the gaming industry. Esports, also known as electronic sports, is a form of competitive video gaming. Several students across universities compete in tournaments for cash prizes and career opportunities. Leadership within the organization emphasizes that for Black students, having access to these resources can be the difference between gaming as a hobby and gaming as a career.
Shalya Boone, a member of Howard Esports, expressed that even though she is a sophomore, she has already seen the benefits Howard Esports offers its members.. While she grew up around games, Boone did not start to have a strong interest in gaming until attending Howard and realizing its importance.
“Gaming does not have a gender or a color, so everybody should be represented. There should be more representation; there should be more of a voice for us,” Boone said, also a Sims captain for Howard Esports. “But, I feel like right now it’s pretty good, but they could always do more.”
Each team within Howard Esports focuses on a specific game, with captains serving as leaders during competitions.. Boone said having a space available for them on campus to build connections is already helping shaping how esports will look in the future.
Timothy Ford, vice president of Howard Esports, said Black gamers often don’t get the same opportunities as others in the industry.
”’We bring a lot of individuals who like playing games competitively and casually together,” Ford said. “It’s really a safe space for people who want to play video games with friends.”
Only 5% of Black professionals make up the gaming workforce, according to a recent survey by the International Game Developers Association. While obtaining data on the specific number of Black women in the workforce is difficult, less than half of video game players are female.
Moneasia Norris, a Call of Duty captain for the Howard Esports, shares that it’s hard to feel recognized and respected as a Black woman from other colleges during competitions.
“They’re not used to interacting with female captains so gaining that respect during tournaments and gaming things like that can be really hard,” Norris said.
Across HBCUs, gaming organizations are prioritizing creating opportunities for students and striving towards diminishing the gap between representation in the gaming industry.
Tyler Kendall, the supervisor for North Carolina Central University’s Esports Gaming club, shared that during his 4 years at the institution, he’s been prioritizing making sure their gaming room is a welcoming space for everybody.
“I think video gaming has turned into an idea that isn’t just we could just play it for fun, now students realize they can play this for a serious job,” Kendall said.
Jai King, a freshman and secretary for NCCU Esports gaming, shared that she’s felt the team has given her a safe space to be herself, even during her short time so far at the institution.
“The team gives people a safe space to be themselves, rather than the business side. I’ve noticed that even as a freshman,” King said. “You get to see different perspectives in the Esports lounge.”
Kendall and Ford expressed one key issue within gaming is limited customization options for Black characters. Customization within a game, allows the player to uniquely choose what appearance they would like their character to have. Both leaders noted there are often limited options for hairstyles and skin tones when creating Black characters.
”One of the things I would love to see in gaming is more Black characterization and more Black representation in gaming that’s not just a criminal,” Kendall said. “I would like to see a Black politician; our representation in gaming is very limited.”
Many Black gamers have emphasized that they feel Black stories and characters need to be seen outside of the past negative portrayal. Kendall said he wishes there were more complex Black characters in video games.
“Even if they are similar to White characters, Black stories are always portrayed as something negative; either we are good or bad, never in the middle. I want more complex characters,” Kendall said.
The founder of the Video Game History Preservation Foundation, Frank Cifaldi, encouraged student organizations like HBCU esports gaming to start documenting their own history to ensure their contributions to the industry aren’t forgotten as esports continues to expand.
“If you value your work it is so important to hold onto it,” Cifaldi said. “Start archiving photos and developers should be thinking about preservation as they build.”
The foundation recently did a study with the Software Preservation Network and found that nearly 90 percent of classic video games are no longer available on the market. That means numerous games, unless archived in libraries, are lost in history.
While Cifaldi noted that esports will continue to climb, he shared that the gaming industry needs to remain aware of the history in these video games and their stories.
Kaitlyn Ellis, a Howard alumna, shares that during their time helping with social media for Howard Esports, they believe Howard could do more for those interested in gaming—such as bringing more gaming companies to career fairs or offering more opportunities through them.
“We barely play against larger schools because those schools always have more money or resources,” Ellis said.
Ellis went on to clarify that the team has received opportunities and resources, but wished they had more. For instance, in 2022, due to sponsorship by Verizon and the board of the HBCU Esports League, the team was funded $100,000 to relaunch their lab. However, Ellis expressed that the institution could provide more support.
Similarly, Norris expressed she’s witnessed Black gamers competing in several tournaments and winning thousands of dollars, but not that many get picked to play professionally compared to other gamers. In 2023, Howard’s Call of Duty team won $80,000 in the Mountain Dew Real Change esports tournament.
”It gets frustrating while we are dominating in this one area, we never get picked,” Norris said. ”But, I think right now, it’s getting to a point where they can’t ignore us anymore, the teams who keep winning are HBCUs and they can’t ignore us anymore.”
Jordan Jarrett covers D.C. Council and other stories for HUNewsService.com.
