Two West Branch alumni, Jonathan Sanker and Curtis Lamb, have recently been recognized as E-Sports protégés.
E-Sports, (or electronic sports), is a form of competition that uses video games in varying game modes. The most common genres of games included in this type of sport are: First-Person-Shooters (FPS), Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas (MOBAs), and the one that Curtis and Jon participate in, Battle Royale.
Battle Royale is a game mode which traditionally puts 100 players into a usually large digital arena, and makes them fight until all opponents are eliminated. This game mode certainly took notes from The Hunger Games. There is usually some kind of external force, whether it is a thunderstorm (as in Fortnite), a “PlayZone” as in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), or another kind of incentive forcing them to move closer to other players by inflicting damage on the participant. Typically the user spawns (or in this case, parachutes onto the map) into the game with no weapon, and must scavenge for what they can find, whether it be firearms, medicine, or explosives. The last player, duo, or squad wins the game.
Jonathan Sanker is known by his tag “Jsank”, and Curtis Lamb as “Clamb”. Their interest in gaming started in high school, and from there the duo progressed to the professional level. They have won a tournament, which gave them a monetary boost, and accelerated them to the National PUBG League tournament in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, they came very close to advancing but fell short by one elimination.
