Liv Rivera '25 could have lounged around the house all summer playing video games. Instead, they traveled to Seoul and gained an education... in playing video games.
Rivera is the vice president of Siena Esports and captain of the College's Overwatch team. Launched in 2016, Overwatch is a massively popular multiplayer first-person shooter game and it's one of the five sanctioned games in MAAC competition. Rivera has led Siena's Overwatch team as far as the semifinals during MAAC Championship weekend in Atlantic City, but they've yet to win the title. Next spring will be their last chance, so Rivera assumed she wouldn't get the opportunity to study abroad as she had hoped.
"I met with the Study Abroad office last year, and we looked at options for my senior year. Ultimately, though, I didn't want to be away in the spring and miss my final semester competing for Siena. But when I told Abi that, it gave her an idea."
Abi Cavazos, associate director of study abroad, knew of a summer program in Seoul that was perfect for Rivera. No Saint had ever participated in this course before, but it may as well have been created specifically for Rivera. Over a one-month stay in Seoul, Rivera is studying the Esports ecosystem in Korea. The course features two components: a daily 10 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. lecture and a game-playing mentorship that includes coaching and hands-on experiences.
"There are nine of us participating in the program. Our coach is insane. He explains aspects of the game that you would never think about."
The course focuses on Valorant, a first-person hero shooter game that is also among the five games played in MAAC competition. Rivera competes on Siena's B Team, and while her Valorant skills have mightily progressed this summer, she's more interested in how her improved aim will transfer to Overwatch. A better shot isn't all they're hoping to bring back to Siena.
"I really want to gain knowledge about the gaming culture in Korea and bring that back to Siena. I'm interested in building our program and making it more prominent on campus. The gaming culture is way more organized over here. They do fan culture much better in Korea."
Rivera has witnessed the difference from the stands. They've gone to several Esports competitions (below, middle) and watched professionals battle from on-stage consoles. Rivera is an economics major, and the economic sustainability questions discussed during lectures align perfectly with their interests. But, after a month in Seoul, Rivera is considering a career pivot.
"If we have more people broadcasting and doing the commentary for Esports, it'll draw in a larger audience. I really think I'd like to get more into the commentary."
There are a lot of ways to tap into the billion-dollar Esports business, and this class – and this experience – has opened plenty of doors. First though, Rivera has a championship to win next spring.
