Recently, Bradley “B Bo” McKendry, NIU’s Varsity League of Legends coach, visited the Bloomington Junior High School Esports Club to speak to the students about collegiate gaming, healthy gaming practices, the Esports Collegiate Conference and what makes NIU Esports unique. Both Bradley and the junior high students left the event feeling inspired!
Here’s what Bradly shared about the experience.
Can you tell us about how you got connected with the Esports Club, and what you talked about with the students?
I was invited by my mother, who is a school counselor, to speak about collegiate gaming and esports with their students. I told them about club and varsity play, the ESC Conference, academics and healthy gaming practices, what makes NIU Esports unique, and career opportunities in the esports industry.
They were super receptive, asked great questions, and I was really impressed with their sportsmanship and community afterwards.
Did the students ask any questions that surprised you?
They were very interested in the jersey I had brought to show, and one of them asked about competitive Splatoon!
Can you share a little bit about yourself and what you study at NIU?
I’m a sixth year NIU undergrad studying Communications with emphasis in Media Studies after several years in engineering. That wasn’t for me, and I like Comms a lot better. I played on the NIU League of Legends team for two years starting in Fall 2020, and this is my fourth year as the League of Legends coach.
Why do you enjoy speaking to younger esports players?
This event was a super cool opportunity to see how smaller communities feed into larger scenes like NIU Esports. I definitely have a better understanding of the scene, as this was the first of these kinds of events I had done. Overall, it was an incredibly positive experience, and I believe we should pursue more like it!
