‘There is a social aspect to the association’

“I was born in the Netherlands but moved to Belgium when I was five, where I attended an international school until I was 18. Then I moved to Delft, and I’m now in my third year of my bachelor. I’m studying aerospace with a minor in computer science. This year I’m the community manager of the DSEA, the Delft Student Esports Association.

It’s been in existence for four years, and this year is a lustrum year so that’s pretty exciting to have the first lustrum of the association. It started out with three people wanting to bring the world of esports to the Netherlands, both the competitive and social aspects of it. So, they set up DSEA and it was the first one in the Netherlands. Shortly after that another one started and now there are something like nine around the country. I think most of them are connected to universities. There is some competition amongst them, and it’s exciting to see where the scene will be in the near future.

‘Name a game and we probably have somebody who plays it’

We have a weekly LAN party where people can bring their laptops and we supply them with tables and electricity and ethernet. Then we have a good time gaming together. Gaming is kind of a broad term and there are many different things that fall under that term. Our association focuses a lot on League of Legends, Super Smash Bros. Melee and a little bit of Ultimate. We also have teams for Overwatch, Rocket League and even have a semi-pro StarCraft Player. Non-competitively though, name a game and we probably have somebody who plays it.

I don’t remember the first game I played as a kid, but some games I played were Ratchet & Clank, old Mario games, and Pokémon. It all started for me with handheld consoles. Now I’m more invested in PC gaming with League of Legends and Hearthstone.

There is a social aspect to the association. At the weekly LAN parties, you don’t have to sit behind your computer, but you can play board games or have a drink together. These meetings are at X on Thursday evenings from 18:30 to midnight. We also do other activities for our quarterly ‘Offline Events’ such as bowling, rock climbing or playing pool. It really is a community. If you’re interested, you can sign up whether you consider yourself a gamer or not. It’s more fun if you are invested in gaming in some way, but anyone can join.”

Who are the people who work and study on campus? We meet them in Humans of TU Delft. Dot you want to be featured in this series? Or do you know someone with a good story to tell? Send us an e-mail at humansoftudelft@gmail.com  

Heather Montague / Freelance writer