2019年 家庭 Collegiate Championships roared into the Fortress following the release of 龙的后裔, with four teams competing in a heated series of back-和-forth matches. Rochester Institute of 技术's team ultimately came out on top, but for 满帆大学 students 和 满帆 无敌舰队 athletes PeptoAbysmal 和 Karadactyl, it was more than just a tournament.

For these two members of the 看守 校队成员, the event was an opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into a live esports event 和 gain experience from shadowing the members of a professional production team.

Under the careful eye of Erin Eberhardt (Blizzard's lead project manager on esports 和 a 满帆 grad), both players were given opportunities to interact with all facets of the day's events from interpersonal communications, 团队协助, 技术反馈, 和物流.

和, even before the day's events kicked off, both players were electric with anticipation about what lay ahead for them.

"I woke up 和 was just like 'Oh my gosh, today's the day'," says Karadactyl. “我很激动。."

"All I could think about was the fact that I had to get up very early so I could get there, 和 then be early so I don't look bad, 和 then also come prepared so I don't look like I'm half-dead,PeptoAbysmal说. "But I was super-excited."

Karadactyl took on the role of a player-manager during the event 和 was directly responsible for working with the four visiting teams 和 providing them with everything from food, 方向, 和, 由她自己决定, 精神上的支持.

"I was mainly just making sure everybody was happy," she says. "I wanted to make sure that the losing teams were able to replenish themselves, 因为, 一旦你输了, that's a defeating feeling."

PeptoAbysmal's day was spent as Erin's personal assistant, getting a look at all the intricacies of the production, from coordinating with other event staff to relaying information to the technical teams 和 sportscasters.

"I pretty much was everywhere that she was going," she says. (艾琳)说, 'You're going to follow me around all day,’我就说, that is perfectly fine with me. 我很喜欢. 让我们去."

"If she asked me 'Hey, could you go to the people in the comm和 center 和 see what they're doing? Tell them that they need to change the colors of this before the broadcast goes live' I'd run from the lobby up to the room,她回忆道. "It was a lot of that."

Both students learned a number of valuable lessons during the event.

"Don't take liberties, especially during a live event,PeptoAbysmal说 of her biggest takeaway from the day. "If someone says, 'I need a lint roller' do everything in your power to find that lint roller."

同样的, Karadactyl left the event with a greater perspective on leadership roles 和 adapting on the fly. "The lesson I learned with the player-manager role is know what's going on at all times," she says. "Always have a plan B."