The Summoning Hour

The Summoning Hour - Garvey the Director of Student and Education Programs at Twitch

A long and glorious return to networking and sharing the good work of folks in the collegiate esports space. This week I am joined by the highly regarded and sought after, Garvey! This episode is filled with so many great nuggets of knowledge and oozes genuine desire to see students and this space built up on inclusivity, diversity and future planning. 

Absolutely loved this episode and I know you will too!

Happy Holidays and be safe; mask up!

Garvey's info:

This week, I catch up with Mark McCready, President from Queen Maragaret University Esports, and Scottish representative within British Esports Association. It has been about a year since Mark and I first spoke on the podcast. So today, is a little recap as well as a whole bunch of original yumminess - inclusiviness, collegiate esports' role in professional esports....for the next 5-10 years!

Mark's info:

I finally get to talk to NYIT! And what a doozy! Duran comes in fast with the history of NYIT, how the stars aligned and how the club is managing to put its best foot forward even calling early tryouts! Making adjustments early and often shows a group that is ready to take their program to the top of the collegiate scene while actively supported by faculty and other staff. What a ride it will be to see them continue adding to their presence and drive others to model themselves after NYIT. 

Elieser Duran:

The Summoning Hour - Back with Christian Gross

Christian and I reconnect with new developments and how AVGL is striking at the heart of assisting colleges make more content and connect with their communities! 

Christian Gross' contact info:

Hey Everybody!

This last February I had the chance to talk about founding this podcast and who I've been interacting with and why I chose this space to be in. I have a lot of thanks to give out on this one:

• My Dad
• Paul Chaloner
• Jason DeShong
• Jacques Crochet
• Marco
• Scott Zackman
• University of Oklahoma Esports
• Kevin Mitchell and the rest of CEX for inviting me and coordinating everything to let me have this opportunity

Emerson Students who made this event happen, that I got to interact with:

• Katie Rhee
• Rick Menasce
• Davis Gagnon
• Neal Sweeney
• Olin Hayes

Info about CEX:

Black Lives Matter.

In this episode, I discuss with Zeke, Jermal and Sergio their experiences with racism. Some truly heartbreaking stories that our next generation has experienced. Knowing that it has been like that for every generation previously but even harder, is devastating to process. Everyone is realizing just how much farther there is to go.

Here are a few sites I've used to find ways to contribute to this movement:

Join in, you're just at the beginning! That's right St. Mary's Esports is just starting but they're starting with the full support of the administration and a dedicated resource in Kaitlin Teniente as Head Coach. Developing and growing a community on campus is difficult enough, but doing so during COVID-19 quarantine orders only makes it more so. Listen in on how this club is still pushing forward. 

Kaitlin Teniente & St. Mary's Esports

After running their first online event, Ashley Denktas has accomplished a lot at UCLA Esports. The club has thrived up until this point; the point of handing off the club to the next wave of leadership. This is something they’ve been preparing for and it shows.

Grab some popcorn, sit down and enjoy the show!

You can reach Ashley and UCLA Esports at:

In this episode I re-connect with Kaylan Duncan, the esports program director for Norwich University Esports. Kaylan and I met at the ESI New York event in 2019. There's the saying, 'game recognizes game' and that's how it goes. Kaylan and I are very much on the same page and have a blast in this episode talking about Norwich and their varsity program.

Grab some popcorn, sit down and enjoy the show!

You can reach Kaylan at:

The musical guest is once again, Delta IV. You can find them at: https://deltaiv.bandcamp.com

A straight forward question and collaboration time: what are clubs doing in the face of covid-19? 

I'm joined by:

Nicholas "Nick" Espinosa from Leeward Community College

• @NickFromHawaii on Twitter

Matthew King, Esports Coordinator for University of North Dakota

• Contact-  E: matthew.king.1@UND.edu  
• O: 701.777.5934  
• Discord: Alpha Azul#3627

Mitch - Ferris State Team Leader for Overwatch Gold squad

Man, Myth and Legend, the Brains behind College Esports Expo - Kevin Mitchell

This is a doozy of a podcast with so many lessons and moments worth preserving and knowing. There's so much to unpack here and whether or not you do anything in esports, just think about the way this story has unfolded and how you can always be making something completely unimaginable happen.

Join the conversation with Emerson Esports as they were the primary volunteers for College Esports Expo:

Just look at what has transpired since CEX 2020 at the end of February! It feels like this episode was so long ago!

My friends, this is one to listen to. This shows how much effort these students are rallying around their esports clubs with. Emerson's tradition in the highest quality journalism practices and facilities drew me in. I felt so inspired about what this program can bring to collegiate esports. Listen to this and use it to push yourselves and really come up with the identity behind your school. 

This is by far one of the best insights I've gotten of how other students on campus, gamers or not, esports fans or not, can get involved and how some truly great opportunities and education happened because of them.

Join the conversation with Emerson Esports:

Part 2 of the PlayVS & Epic Games' partnership to create a collegiate and high school Fortnight duos league! Some insider info and my personal reaction to members of the community. Frankly, I was surprised. 

Agenda

• I'm open for business! If you're running an event and want an overall host, a panel host, a panel interviewee or someone to come make some content, let's talk!
  
• Leave a message here (https://anchor.fm/thesummoninghour/message)
  
• DM me on any of the social media links found on my LinkTree link below)
  
• Email me at warlockrakaul@gmail.com
  
• Electronic Gaming Federation's Power 5 Invitational
  
• What I think of events like the EGF Power 5

Be sure to check me out on social media and leave feedback there or on the Anchor platform to be integrated into the podcast:

Episode 75 - Wesley Peck, University of San Diego's Esports Pilot Lead

USD's Info & Torero Esports

Episode 074 - Shaun Byrne , Esports Prof & Director for St. Clair College

Shaun Byrne

Episode 073 - Ohio Northern University

Zach Rondeau

Episode 073 - Collegiate Esports and NCAA Paying Players - What Does It Mean

Ezekiel Carsella

Episode 072 - My Schools to Watch and Honorable Mentions

Mississippi State Esports:

• https://www.twitter.com/esports_msu
  
• https://www.instagram.com/esports_msu

Alfred State University Esports' info:

This. This is the model of how every school should be behaving over the next year as they get their esports programs in order. They will find their faculty member(s), facility, sponsors, community, student leaders and create something significant in a short time. There's still plenty of room for flavors of programs and clubs, but that will be driven by the community of students. Any college not attempting to even gauge the interest of their students has failed to stay relevant and will be missing out on a tremendous branding opportunity and recruiting tool. 

University of Oregon's Info:

Warm set of applause for Austin and Connor coming out to the podcast. Austin and I have chatted a number of times already since the inception of his club and their growth has been astronomical. But now that they've laid the foundation, what is next? How do they keep the accelerator down and how will they survive once Austin graduates? Find out on this episode of THE SUMMONING HOUR! 

Austin & Connor's Info:

David and I got to chat about what it is like moving from one organization to another and how he’s building not just a mechanically sound group of competitors, but also develop a welcoming space for everyone and helping to be the voice of esports on campus. St. Edwards is a school on the smaller side, but don’t let that fool you. These smaller schools are attacking esports and bringing it to campus with wide acceptance and unparalleled eagerness to have their students thrive.

David’s Info:

We talk through some of the highlights of the NA Pro League. My highlight I wanted to call out was in the Team Reciprocity vs Rogue match. Check it out:

Well this episode isFANTASTIC! Getting to know Hops was a lot of fun but then learning just how far WSU has come since the last time I interviewed members from their organization is really impressive. WSU is taking huge bounding steps to join the pack of frontrunners in collegiate esports and certainly, a commanding lead in esports development in Washington state. Yeah I know UW has a community gaming lounge, but in terms of program and development? UW can't stand up to what Hops and company have got going.

I encourage everyone to listen to it, despite my best efforts of self-sabotaging this episode. I apologize for how Hops sounds, that is entirely my fault. The good news is that it was a one off issue and won't happen again (until I tweak my settings again #RIP Me)

Hops' Info:

Check Your 6 - Season 3 Kick-Off & Pro League Update

We ramp up on what happened at the end of Season 2 of CollegiateR6, teams to watch for in Season 3, the format of the season as well as coverage on the recent rosterpocalypse in North America's Pro League

Be sure to check me, Warlock Rakaul, out on social media and leave feedback there or on the Anchor platform to be integrated into the podcast:

• https://linktr.ee/warlockrakaul

Co-host: SyntaxxGG

Met up with President Robert and Vice President of Marketing Moe from York University Esports. It is great to hear about another school in Canada doing its best to bring esports to attention. This interview speaks towards schools who have found success in one aspect or another and look for that next step. Given that York has found competitive success with CS:GO and there is a desire to look at Call of Duty, I foresee "York University" coming up in many more competitions. 

Huge thanks to @MichaelSchorr for letting me share his band's music. Ladies and Gents, this is Delta IV! Show 'em some love :)

York's Info:

Had a chance to talk to Glenn Cravens, author of "Fighting With Numbers: 2019 Edition: Some of the Stats From the Fighting Game Community's Biggest Tournament Series" and esports analyst. We break down the beauty of what data can help us learn about ourselves, others and how we compete but then also how it can be a growing aspect of how games train their players. Back and forth we draw comparisons, predictions and desires for how data is used in the future of esports. 

Shout out to new musical guest, TIGG! Thank you for bringing back the nostalgia that is TEAM17's classic series, Worms, with your very own track, "Worms". 

Glenn's info:

This is a huge cast! Not only is it with someone whom I felt like we speak the same language and have a lot to say about esports, but Gary's business, Convoke, is in Seattle! We're getting more businesses and infrastructure around here to make a scene happen around here! Gary and I discussed so much it is hard to summarize but if you want an energetic, back and forth exchange of everything esports, you've come to the right place!

Gary's & Convoke's  info:

Took another digital jump across the pond to Queen Margaret University and spoke with their President, Mark, about their society that started just back in March! He's well armed with a network, information and the gumption to get this thing off the ground. Come find out more about what the UK, Edinburgh and Scotland have to offer in our world of collegiate esports.

Mark's & QMU's  info:

We are wrapping up this long project! This time around we have a long episode with the return of our guests, Jason, Christian and Scott. We go back into some problems around longevity but start sussing out smaller issues, things that were more unique to each school. We get some controversial tactics and methods as well as some very technical solutions. 

This week, we engage with a flurry of activists fighting the good fight for esports in the Vancouver, British Columbia area. I found them while I was watching the mini-documentary, "Smash Forward" (link below) from the group STORYHIVE (@Storyhive on Twitter!). Hearing how they're already reaching well beyond campus to participate and build their esports offerings is inspiring. These are the engagement levels that every college will aspire to have with all of their major clubs, not just esports. 

Give them a listen and cheer them on as they've got a full year ahead of them for what was planned, not including all of those special moments of random living life and directing hundreds of students' passion in gaming to see how things will change :). GLHF and enjoy the podcast!

 Participants:

• Arno, Kai, Amanda, Kevin

UBC Social Media

• Twitter, Twitch, Facebook & Youtube: @ubcesports
• Instagram: @ubcea

Musical Guest, go give them some love right now(!!!), Runestrike 

This week I got to sync up with John and Marco as they prepare for Season 2 of CollegeCOD (Call of Duty for the uninitiated). We go through the efforts and passion it has taken to get this far; speaking so highly of every community member, every team member and every school. The 'P' word comes out a lot in this episode. If I had to describe this whole idea of CollegeCOD, it would be as most elaborate passion project I have ever heard of in the esports space. John and Marco have their hands full building a proper collegiate scene with the community mindset that drives the most successful scenes. Listen in to hear some of the initial announcements for Season 2!

Guest #1: John

Episode 059 - Part 1 - Longevity & Challenges

This is a long time coming and I can only apologize and thank my guests for their patience. It has been a long road to get this underway, executed on, rehashed, rebuilt, restarted and all of the other re's out there. 

In part one, my guests and I talk about longevity and where it stems from. We're also so new at this, along with the colleges themselves that no one had really recognized the impact of a passionate individual who drives everything and we get to hear some nifty stories.

Participants:

Recorded nice and early for this one! I interviewed UK-based Hitmarker's Managing Director, Richard Huggan. We got a chance to talk about the origin of Hitmarker as a job board, how he found his way into it and the tremendous growth it is playing within the job market for esports; professional, collegiate and volunter-based. 

This is my first podcast around the business-side of esports and there's even more to learn. I'm driven to understand how they'll impact esports from the big wigs of C9, Team Liquid, Overwatch League, NBA 2k and all the way down to primary K-12 education esports. 

Hitmarker:

 OU's Moog second name drop on Twitter brought me to Eugene Frier of Texas Wesleyan University. Probably the smallest school I've talked to  but with an attitude for esports as some of the major contenders. Eugene and I speak towards what it means to be building an esports program, a community  and even get our nerd on reminiscing about vanilla World of Warcraft. 

This podcast goes on to prove that anyone and everyone can be involved in esports and it is to the benefit of schools, professional esports and the professional growth of students. Give it a listen and share your feedback!

Texas Wesleyan University Esports

OU's Moog name dropped some clubs and people on Twitter so I tracked some of them down and got another great episode that further explores how much collegiate esports has grown in just a year. UTD status, resources and approval on campus is reminiscent of many other programs'. Greg Adler, Director and Coach for UTD's program fills me in and helps paint the picture of an esports contender. 

University of Texas at Dallas

This week, seemingly starting a trend for Rainbow 6 episodes, I interview the admin of Collegiate R6, Mike 'xpR' Pipher. We cover the history, the tremendous growth of Collegiate R6 and where it is going. It is great to be able to hear about the processes and challenges of handling the collegiate scene but also amazingly inspiring to hear how many people, including the players, are striving to organize and give this scene the same legitimacy that professional esports had searched for for years.  Enjoy this podcast! I hope it gets you all as fired up as I am for the Fall 2019 Season of CR6. 

For Collegiate Rainbow 6 news, competition and community: 

Cristian and I dive into his history at getting into esports, R6 and his move from participant to caster to analyst for Dark Zero Esports. This is another great story of what dedication, hard work and a commitment to growing can do for you. We also discuss the Texas A&M's performance in the finals for the Spring Collegiate R6 championship.

Follow Cristian on social media: