Xochilt Garcia
Editor in Chief
Esmy Infante remembers playing their first video game as a kid: Super Mario Sunshine on a Nintendo GameCube. Now, Infante is ranked in the top 1% of Overwatch players in the country.
But Infante is more than a video game enthusiast.
Infante, a communications senior at Texas A&M University-San Antonio and captain of the esports Overwatch team, a team-based multiplayer first-person shooter video game, was one of only five students to receive the Student Leadership Award from the National Association of Collegiate Esports. The esports athlete found out they won during the 2024 NACE conference in Winter Park, Florida, this summer.
Infante, 24, said they never expected this and thought the recognition from NACE was “crazy.”
“I thought ‘no one really knows who I am,’” Infante said. “I was really surprised.”
According to NACE’s website, the Student Leadership Award “recognizes an outstanding student leader that has made a difference in their school’s esports program in the past year.”
Infante’s coach Aaron Jaggers said the esports player did just that. In fact, he nominated Infante because of it. Jaggers, the assistant director of recreation and head esports coach for two years at A&M-San Antonio, said Infante was a “really important leader” to the esports program.
“[Infante] helped me sort of get my bearings as a coach and as a new individual in San Antonio,” Jaggers said.
The Overwatch captain has been part of the A&M-San Antonio esports program since spring 2022. Infante only enrolled at the university because of its budding esports program, which they found out about through a women’s empowerment stream hosted by the Southside school.
“I eventually transferred to the university specifically because of the program, and then it just kind of evolved from there,” Infante said.
It was the developmental process of the esports program that attracted Infante to A&M-San Antonio.
Though Infante casually started playing Overwatch, they have grown into one of the best collegiate players in the country.
“[Infante] worked their place way up to the top 1% of players in the country,” Jaggers said. “So they’ve grown a lot and helped to build this team too, right? This team started at a much lower area and now they’re competing with some of the best teams in the country.”
Varsity esports made its way to A&M-San Antonio in the spring of 2020, and members of the program have competed in local, state and national tournaments while engaging in community service by coaching high school esports teams.
And Infante has been along for a substantial part of that pixelated ride, including a game this week.
The A&M-San Antonio Overwatch team played against Radford University Sept. 24. Infante wasn’t playing that night but remained virtually stationed in the game’s lobby while physically sitting across from the players, monitoring and cheering them on.
“I’m still the captain, but I want to focus more on school,” Infante said.
Keyboards clicked and clacked, and gamers focused on their screens, occasionally letting out cheers, grunts and directions for their teammates as the Jaguars went round for round against the Radford Highlanders.
“No pulse!”
“Run, run, run, run, run!”
“I’m about to die–I’m dead!”
“Clip it!”
These were the phrases the players let out as they made their way through the different Overwatch maps. And then, the gamers erupted into applause as the Jags Overwatch team won a round.
“They’re feeling really confident, because they beat the team that beat Radford last week,” Infante said.
Between rounds, Infante checked on their teammates, offering sticks of cobalt peppermint-flavored 5 Gum and asking if anyone needed a “body break.”
In esports, a body break is when a gamer takes a break from sitting at their monitor to stretch or use the bathroom.
A&M-San Antonio won against Radford 3-0 that night. NACE Overwatch matches are best of five to win.
Infante sparks mentorship opportunities for high school esports teams
Infante said the esports program at A&M-San Antonio stresses the importance of volunteer and community service work. The young gamer has served as community manager by helping plan community events for all of the esports teams, Jaggers said.
Currently, the esports program at A&M-San Antonio comprises six different competitive teams, and four of them are varsity.
While most volunteers help by running tournaments, media production and other administrative processes for the high school esports league R20, Infante felt there was a need for direct mentorship between high school gamers and collegiate gamers.
Sticking to their Overwatch roots, Infante found a high school in the R20 league with an Overwatch team that wasn’t yet able to compete in the league in February. After reaching out to the esports coach at Holmes High School, Infante set up opportunities for the university’s Overwatch team members to mentor and coach the high school’s own Overwatch team.
Infante said they’re planning on bringing back the coaching program this season because their team members and their high school mentees really enjoyed it.
“They love to compete. They love to play. They love the game. So I just wanna help facilitate that, and help them grow in that way.”
Reliable and responsible: Infante is ‘backbone’ of esports program
If being a full-time student, esports captain and a nationally recognized student leader wasn’t enough, Infante is also the NACE student representative for A&M-San Antonio. Student representatives are voted on by their own esports peers, and Infante was the overwhelming choice for their esports program.
David Ludemann, a computer science senior and one of Infante’s Overwatch teammates, said that every member of the team voted for Infante to be their student representative because they show leadership values and reliability.
“They are a team cap too, along with managing all of us,” Ludemann said. “They’ve helped out with the whole program when there’s like, empty positions. So they’re just very, like, responsible–always on time, you know?”
Along with setting up community service opportunities for the esports teams, Infante acts as team manager by planning practices, scrimmages and campus events that are open to all students interested in video games.
A spokesperson from NACE said student reps represent the student interest of each member institution by attending meetings, town halls and by raising concerns, questions and ideas.
Ludemann said Infante is a good fit for the student rep role because they “improve the face value of the program,” while taking charge behind the scenes.
“They’re very good representation, like how our program is run, but also on the back end, they’ve done things that they do not always get credit for,” Ludemann said. “They kind of serve as a backbone to how we function today.”
As far as student leadership awards go, Infante “fit the bill” for coach Jaggers.
“They do everything related to student leadership. It was an obvious point,” Jaggers said.
‘I just like playing the game’
Infante joined the A&M-San Antonio esports program because they liked how developmental and supportive the program is.
“Anyone can join and anyone can play, and we can help grow you into an even better player,” Infante said. “That’s what I really like–the transformative process from like an average player to like an amazing player, because you have those resources; you have the people around you to help you.”
And for as much as Infante gives to the program, esports has also given a lot to them.
For the past three semesters, the program awarded Infante esports scholarships in the amount of $2,000. Scholarships are awarded based on game skill level, academic merit and financial need, said Jaggers.
But more than money, Infante says the program acts as an outlet for one of their favorite pastimes, which helps them relax, unwind and have “something to do” after a hard day. For Infante, it’s all about the love for the game.
Infante appreciates video games for their established color palette, characters and art styles. There’s not a lot of thinking to worry about, Infante says, and that’s why it’s so easy to let loose and have fun while playing video games.
“You immerse yourself into something, and then you get really good at it, and then that’s about it.”
The Overwatch captain says their parents don’t really understand how playing video games landed them several esports scholarships and national recognition. They’re just glad Infante isn’t wasting time.
“They don’t understand what I’m doing, but they do support me,” Infante said.
But the Student Leadership Award wasn’t just a win for Infante–it was a win for the overall A&M-San Antonio esports program too, Jaggers said.
“I think it helps put us on the map, right? And gets attention to our students who are all doing such great work,” Jaggers said.
But Infante has a hard time wrapping their head around all the recognition they’ve received.
“I get imposter syndrome,” Infante said. “I’m just a silly guy who likes silly games.”
Although Infante didn’t start off as the most competitive player, the student leader says they’re looking forward to competing this semester. Last season, the esports premier varsity league made it to the last chance qualifier for playoffs, and Infante believes the program can make it to the playoffs and farther this season.
“I’m really excited to compete. I feel like our team has gotten so far, and we’ve progressed–we’ve only gotten so much better than when we first started.”
