Lhea Livings strides into my workspace looking perfectly manicured from head to toe. She’s not what I picture the average “gamer girl” looking like (which brings to mind either someone wearing clothes about three sizes too small while speaking like a five year old, or someone who hasn’t seen a shower in a few weeks).

Livings apparently sees the trepidation in my face as I shakely confirm she is indeed who I need to speak to. “Hi,” she cheerfully chirps, “Are you ready to get started?” Livings’ ability to take charge is exactly why we’re meeting today.

As someone who has dabbled in the world of online RPG once every few years, I can’t say I’m particularly well-versed in Livings’ world. I start by asking the obvious, “What exactly is an Esports club?” Livings chuckles before explaining, “An Esports club means we have competitive players in online video games like Rocket League, League of Legends, and Overwatch. We also host community and local area network (LAN) events and tournaments.

In addition to gaming events, we are preparing to teach high school students programming and development, and always look to connect members with career options connected to Esports. I, and the rest of the club, are excited to work with both ACE and Success Academies as many of us are from DSU’s early high school programs.”

Now that I have a rudimentary understanding of what exactly an E-Club is, I want to know what drew Livings into this line of work/entertainment, especially as a female player making her mark just a few years after 2014’s Gamergate scandal, where women faced abuse both online and offline strictly for being women in a male-dominated industry. “I started playing in high school; it was a social thing. It became a social outlet for me–playing online, meeting people, competing. Despite having my own experiences as a woman dealing with discrimination and stereotypes, I still have a growing passion for the field.

Now that I have a rudimentary understanding of what exactly an E-Club is, I want to know what drew Livings into this line of work/entertainment, especially as a female player making her mark just a few years after 2014’s Gamergate scandal, where women faced abuse both online and offline strictly for being women in a male-dominated industry. “I started playing in high school; it was a social thing. It became a social outlet for me–playing online, meeting people, competing. Despite having my own experiences as a woman dealing with discrimination and stereotypes, I still have a growing passion for the field.

“I would love to see more women get into Esports. It’s a very male-dominated industry, and you rarely see women. The stigma is changing, but it still has a long way to go. I jump on any opportunity I have to encourage women, and eradicate any feelings of women not being able to play. Gaming has no skill cap–there is no physicality like you see in football or basketball. I want to represent more girls getting in Esports.”While Livings feels honored to start Dixie State Esports, she laments on how late DSU actually is on getting in the game: “Esports as a whole is an industry worth billions; however, on the university level, Boise State has earned a massive $6 million off their Esports club since its formation. Other universities are doing great, and there is a lot of competition among Utah universities. We have the talent and resources here; we just need to utilize them. Boise E-Sport officials actually told us we’re doing great so far.”Livings points out how remarkably easy players can become involved in Esports, a hurdle DSU doesn’t need to fund, saying, “Players start by finding a game they like and watching competitive players. They watch Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook streams before becoming competitive. I started with a group of friends, but I would recommend joining a club. We have an opening social on September 11th. We hope to host a Smash Bros tournament in a month ortwo. Last year, we had 80 competitors in our Smash Bros. tournament and donated proceeds from the event to Red Bull’s Wings for Life charity. We know we’ll keep growing from there.”Livings hopes to obtain local sponsors soon as well as introducing her players to more tech companies looking to hire. She believes Atwood Innovation Plaza is the perfect location for the club because “all the resources, space, and networking the Atwood provides will be extremely beneficial to our organization. We’re able to draw in our club members into our new Esports lab with 12 P.C.s for competitive players, and spread awareness about what the Innovation Plaza offers to Southern Utah. Esports will be an incredibly unique program that will grow exponentially at DSU, and the Atwood will be a major component in our history.”If you are interested in sponsoring or joining Dixie Esports Club, you can visit their website here.