Alberto Sanchez began his Career at CSI as the Finance and Business manager for athletics, but later became the founder of CSI Esports as well.

By Jess M. Johnson

At eight years old, Alberto Sanchez was down his street in the Bronx where he played at the local park with his friends. Up until the moment he saw a UPS truck turn the street corner, he immediately knew his first video game was about to be delivered. He and his friends quickly ran to his house so they could rip open the package and play his new video game. 

“Most kids play video games, it’s kind of the norm,” Sanchez said. “Some grow out of it, but I stuck with it.”

Esports was one of the newest programs here at CSI, formed in 2020. The news of an Esports team quickly caught the interest of gamers on campus. Sanchez was the founder of CSI Esports, but he had never competitively played Esports himself, so he had stepped into something new. 

Former CSI President, William Fritz, had been the person to request an Esports program here at CSI. Sanchez, hearing this, knew he was one of the faculty members with the longest background in playing video games, so he decided to take the challenge. Sanchez felt that he would be the best fit since he knew so much about video games and felt he would be more relatable for the players. 

Video games are worldwide, connecting players from across the globe who all share a common interest in the same game. CSI had a successful video game club where students would gather and play their favorite games together on campus for fun until COVID-19 shut down the school and program. In 2020, when millions of people had to get used to virtual tasks, CSI introduced their very own Esports team for students to take their at home hobbies to the next level. 

“Esports is competitive electronic sports,” Sanchez said. “You take a lot of games within the video game landscape; players get rankings and compete to see who the best is.” 

Esports allows gamers to meet with other players across the country, not only virtually, but in person as well. CSI Esports teams such as Rocket League competed in tournaments located in Texas, New Jersey, and Georgia. A member of CSI’s Rocket League team, Maxim Kleyer (Gamer tag- Mucks), has been a top player in each of these tournaments.      

“Being able to travel around America to compete in in-person competitions has been one of the biggest benefits,” Kleyer said. “We got to see and compete at an actual in-person event which is something I have always wanted to do, and CSI Esports gave me that opportunity.” 

Sponsored Esports teams here at CSI are Rocket League, Call of Duty, League of Legends, Valorant, and Overwatch 2. Sanchez hoped to recruit players for games such as Halo, Rainbow Six Siege, and Fortnite to create their very own team and join in on the action. The more games that are available the more opportunities are given to those who want an experience just like Kleyer had. 

Sanchez needed a stress reliever from his day-to-day life, which is where video games played a big role for him. Whether that was while he was a child growing up, as a student in college, or as a Finance and Business manager. Even though Esports was not around at the time Sanchez had grown up, he is glad to be a part of it now in his adult life. 

“Video games give me a sense of calmness, being able to focus on the game instead of whatever else is going on,” Sanchez said. “It’s an outlet for a few moments.”