A media production student and the coach of AACC’s Esports team came together to revive the Esports Club last semester.

Club President Kyle Lynch, a second-year student, collaborated with coach Conway Johnson, who was president of the old Esports Club, which fell apart during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“COVID kind of threw a wrench in everything,” Johnson said. “The goal is to get a healthy … fully student-run Esports Club back up and running again the way it used to. … It’s going to take time.”

The Esports Club is not officially affiliated with the college’s Esports team, which is part of AACC Athletics. Still Johnson, who is the club’s staff adviser, said the two are “intertwined,”’ and noted that both organizations share the same space in CALT Room 215.

“The Esports team focuses on [the] Athletics Department and our competitions, whereas the Esports Club focuses on our, like, in-house [activities],” Lynch said.

Before the pandemic, the Esports Club had approximately 30 to 50 regulars coming to its five-hour open labs. However, the pandemic “effectively kill[ed]” the club because none of the regulars stayed in the club and no new members were joining, Johnson said.

Still, every member of the Esports team is also a member of the Esports Club, according to Lynch, even though joining is optional. Anybody can join the club.