Brock DeWeese (he/him), 20, is a recent graduate from Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) where he received his Associate’s Degree in general studies and played for two semesters on the esports team. He is now headed to be a Viking at Missouri Valley where he will be pursuing a sports management degree. 

What game(s) do you play?

“I play everything Call of Duty; from multiplayer, to Warzone, to zombies. I played Warzone and 4v4 for the NJCAAE,” said DeWeese, “The first semester, I would say I doubled as a coaching role to the team. I taught the fundamentals of the game and how to play properly. I was the team captain both semesters, which entailed setting up scrims and making sure everyone was on the same page when it came to things like stats, practice times, and making sure the team was on the same page. I played the IGL, or "in-game leader". This means I directed a lot of the traffic, like telling people to go somewhere or somewhere we needed to look.”

DeWeese started as an athlete playing numerous traditional sports such as baseball, basketball, and a bit of football. He described himself as always being competitive. He then started playing video games right around the age of 7, playing COD 4. 

“This was my escape from competing until I realized I was pretty good at it. I started taking it more seriously and video games became the main focus of my competitive nature,” said DeWeese, “My competitive itch really kicked up when Fortnite came out because it was a new fun game and the tournaments were open to all players 13+. This was an easy way to compare me to others.  I started out as a top 50,000 player but ended as a top 150 player in NA East. After a while, I went back to Call of Duty, where I realized I could compete at a high level.”

What have you done to improve yourself in game?

“I've done a lot to try to improve in the game. I think traditional sports has a lot of the formula down with stuff like scrims, film, and repetition. A couple of things I always work on is chemistry. I think liking your teammates and getting comfortable with them is important. If you are not comfortable with them, telling them to change or correct something is difficult,” said DeWeese, “Another thing is putting in the hours. Feeling out how much play time is good for you and getting yourself to get on to play is important. I take a lot of what I have learned from gaming and transfer it to my everyday life. I think being a good teammate is the best way to build a positive culture, just like life. Dedication is also important, being lazy and procrastinating won't allow your talents to flourish.”

DeWeese described his time on the team as a blast. He loved being able to game with people that he enjoyed being around, allowing for an even better experience. 

What is your gamertag and how did you decide on it?

“My gamertag is LawmGG. It started as LAWM SCOPEZ. It was a clan my brother and his buds made, but I took over the account because he wanted his old one back. I stuck with the name until about a year ago when I wanted something cleaner and shorter. Just LAWM was taken on Twitch so I went with LawmGG. I think the GG at the end makes it look good,” said DeWeese.

Are there any stereotypes about gamers/esports that bother you or you think are untrue and why?  

“I think the statement that esports isn't physical is very true, but that doesn't mean everyone can compete at a high level. Esports isn’t just getting on and playing. I don't go shoot hoops for 30 minutes a day and try to make it to the NBA. Physical sports have a cap at which you can practice and have to let the body rest, but esports doesn't have that,” said DeWeese, “Players can't only play 3-4 hrs a day and call it good to compete at a very high level. There are no off days. It can be mentally exhausting.”

In the future Brock would like to be an esports coach at a high school or college level, and plans to be in the esports space no matter what.