It was not the Super Bowl, but Madden 22 coins tens of thousands of viewers saw the performance live on television, and a recording of the match has earned more than 340,000 viewers on the streaming site Twitch. Officials from Washington's high school sports association believe that Velazquez is the first state's esports national champion. When the flu epidemic kept them apart, video games at Lake Stevens High School experienced an increase in popularity.
"People were already communicating with each other online, digitally, and so it was an incredibly natural extension," added Trevor Wood, an 11th-grade English teacher and advisor to the school's video game club. "The district and the school were really interested in growing the club's video games because it was the ways in which kids could meet socially."
A recent surge in popularity for the game "Among Us," an online multiplayer competition that attracted Velazquez along with many others to the group. Before COVID-19, Wood explained that the club for video games was comprised of less than 10 people. The group now has around 60 members. joined the group's discussion channel.
This year, the team has also entered the competitive side of gaming by challenging high schoolers who hail from Washington all across the country with a range of esports.
The team has played in events that include "Mario Kart" and "League of Legends" with limited results, but the victory of Velazquez could be a boost for the club. Wood explained that the team's "Super Smash Bros." team is getting close to buy Mut 22 coins the finals of the state contest and remains undefeated.