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Regular version of the site

Do not be shy to loudly announce your hobbies or how a student from Sociology and social informatics program opened a cyber club at the Higher School of Economics

Cybersport is a developing sport in Russia. We talked with one of the creators of HSE SPb Cyber Club-sociology student Ilya Gorets and learned how he embodied dreams into reality and how he sees the future of the club.

How did the idea of creating a cyber club come up? What was done for it? What is a cyber club?

The idea of ​​creating, what is interesting, was born simultaneously and independently in the heads of five students of the St-P. Higher School of Economics at the end of summer - early autumn of 2017. Most of us were first-year students and only one from the second course. Actually, thanks to Ksenia Alekseevna Kuzmina, we found each other and met at a round-table discussion about the establishment of the club. In general, it was rather strange to realize that in the presence of a flourishing Moscow analogue, so far no one has guessed to organize such a club in St. Petersburg. This club was created primarily for participation in the Russian Cybersport Student League, which to this day is, so to speak, a club-forming event. It takes place from October to June, thus covering almost the entire academic year (with some breaks for the exams and vacation).
And we are not talking about a lot of other tournaments that we organize, our colleagues from other universities - for instance, the Herzen Cup was recently held and the cup from St. Petersburg State University where our brave cybersportsmen took part. So, if you have a desire - you will not get bored.

Who helped and still helps with the development of your idea?

In the course of all activities, and especially at the very beginning of our journey, as I have already mentioned earlier, Ksenia Alekseevna helped us a lot - from explaining the basics of club building at the Higher School of Economics to helping to implement specific initiatives. We also appreciate the contribution of Yuri Georgievich Gross who gave us an opportunity to have a room in Kantemirovskaya, where we can train on one of our disciplines - Hearthstone. And, of course, Sofia Timofeeva. Without her help none of our meeting would be held.
How students can become members of your cyber club? How often do you meet?

It is very easy to become a member of our cyber club - go to https://vk.com/hsecc, join the group and that's it! You are a member of our club! From time to time we organize meetings and tournaments in different disciplines within the framework of our club. Their frequency, in fact, directly depends on the desire of our players - some disciplines are held almost every two months, some – only once in six months. Recently, it turned out that we have a fairly impressive cluster of players in the strategy and we conducted a test gathering in Civilization V, we were satisfied with the result and will certainly continue this practice.

And what is your direct role in the cyber club?

As I have already said, I was one of the five founding members of the cyber club and I am still its organizer. Concerning my competencies - all internal issues, cooperation with the federation of computer sports of St. Petersburg and much more. In general, handyman I =} It is also worth noting that membership in the club allows not only to enjoy the Vyshka’a internal activities, but also to interact with the "external environment" – the federation, organizers of commercial tournaments, other universities. For example, for the second year in a row, people from our ranks become commentators of St. Petersburg's student leagues, which is an excellent start in this area.

What are the benefits from participation in cyber club?

Firstly, starting from the 18th year, sports categories will be awarded for some kinds of computer sports. For example, for FIFA (football simulator). Secondly, Prize tournaments in popular disciplines (Dota, CS: GO, etc.) have already achieved (and somewhere outperformed) the level of most "recognized" sports. So, there are really many benefits.

What are your plans for the future?

Plans are truly Napoleonic. Recently we received a package of documents for the official registration of the cyber club according to all standards of computer sports in Russia from the federation of e-sports. What does it mean? It means that the participants of our club will have the opportunity to officially participate in all the cyber events of Russia and recruit themselves "points" in the piggy bank to receive a discharge and other forms of confirmation of their professionalism.
In this regard, we decided not to complicate the structure of our club and to divide it into two components - the already existing HSE CyberClub – remains for all lovers of computer games and those who like to compete for pleasure. In addition to it, HSE Otters will begin its functioning - officially registered club focused solely on e-sports, serious gaming and the development of professional competencies in this field. In HSE Otters the regulated membership will be introduced and the success of the players will be recorded. Yes, it sounds scary, but it is an indispensable measure, because this club will defend the honor of the Vyshka in St. Petersburg in computer sports. So that's how it goes. We have a lot of work, but it will be useless without new players! Therefore, referring to all readers, do not be shy to loudly announce your hobbies with e-sports (this has already ceased to be a stigma) and realize all your intentions. In particular - in our cyber club. After all, to do what you love and at the same time be involved in the success of your university – is not that cool?

                                                                                                              Anna Timofeeva and Adriana Alieva