12th January 2024

Esports representatives from South Devon College fuelled their love of gaming when they competed in a Rocket League inter-college dual during a trip to London, thanks to tech giant Dell’s sponsorship programme. 

The four female players visited the Dell Tech Forum at Magazine London in Greenwich to represent Dell and Alienware for all things Esports, highlighting the role that Esports study can play in filling the digital skills gaps in workforces. 

Amber Loram, 17, Brooke Prince, 23, Jagoda Janiszewska, 17, and Ruby-Ella Mahoney, 16, took part in a Rocket League tournament against the St Vincent Sharks from St Vincents College, Hampshire. 

^{Esports students (from left to right) Jagoda Janiszewska, 17, Brooke Prince, 23, and Ruby-Ella Mahoney, 16}

The South Devon College girls played two ‘Best of 5’ games of Rocket League, which is a high-octane hybrid of arcade-style soccer and car racing, driving customisable vehicles such as the Porsche 911 Turbo in a virtual world.  

Despite only playing the game for a month prior to the event, the girls emerged victorious in the second match! 

During the event Amber Loram excelled in shoutcasting with another student from St Vincents, displaying her humour and confidence. 

Amber said: “It’s an enlightening and confidence-boosting experience that shows you the reality of the Esports world. It also gave me a space to talk about my passions in Esports without judgment.” 

^{Amber Loram shoutcasting at the tournament}

Esports qualifications provide the expertise and strategies for a career in the industry, delivered within a state-of-the-art practical and technical environment, as well as developing skills for single player and multi-player team events. The College was approached by Dell after seeing its Women in Esports initiative, and was offered involvement in Dell’s sponsorship program – a prestigious achievement as there are only two colleges nationally which receive this sponsorship. 

Evie Nielson, Esports volunteer at South Devon College who coaches the team, said: “The Tech Forum was an amazing experience for the girls as it gave them a real platform to promote inclusivity within a heavily male-dominated industry!  

“The students made an excellent effort to represent both South Devon College and Dell in the best light whilst promoting sportsmanship, leadership and showmanship! 

“It was a great opportunity to change opinions and I’m immensely proud of them!” 

The Dell Tech Forum is a technology conference featuring a range of content and speakers highlighting new technology and innovations from security and sustainability to the latest research on AI. 

Joseph Cooke, Lecturer in Computing (Design and Development) at South Devon College, said: “All in all it was a fantastic trip and the girls had a brilliant time networking and extending their skills within Esports.”