Oxford and Cambridge face off in 9th Esports Varsity

The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge are set to do virtual battle in the ninth iteration of the Esports Varsity, an esports tournament contested between the ancient rivals.

The two-day tournament begins on June 25 and will feature five games: Counter-Strike, VALORANT, Overwatch, League of Legends, and Rocket League.

Age-old rivals

The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, often amalgamated as ‘Oxbridge’, are two of the oldest and most prestigious universities in England. Oxford was founded sometime in the late 1100s while Cambridge emerged in the first decade of the 1200s. They would serve as the only universities in Britain for the next 200 or so years before the founding of Britain’s third-oldest university, St Andrew’s, in 1410.

While this pedigree has always fostered a rivalry between the two schools, it took on a whole new form in 1829, with the formation of the now-iconic Boat Race. This rivalry has expanded over the years and in 2014, the rivalry moved into the realm of esports.

The Esport Varsity

The Esport Varsity is contested between the Oxford University Esports Society (OUES) and Cambridge University Digital Gaming Society (CUDGS). The all-time score is 4-4, meaning the winner of this year’s event will be the outright leader in esports between the two schools.

The event, which will also feature talks from major esports figures, will feature a five-game gauntlet for the two sides to navigate:

• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Best of 3)
• VALORANT (Best of 3)
• Overwatch (Best of 7)
• League of Legends (Best of 5)
• Rocket League (Best of 7)

However, for the student-athletes, the event goes beyond simply beating a storied rival. The students are hoping that the event help earn esports Full Blue status. A blue is an award presented to student-athletes at Oxbridge, with ‘Full Blue’ being the highest award an Oxbridge athlete can achieve. The tradition started at Cambridge, which has a much more thorough Blue system. There are currently 25 sports to which Cambridge awards Full Blue honors to, with esports hoping to become the twenty-sixth.

Esport Varisty 2022

This year’s Esport Varsity is being organized by National Student Esports and is being held at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in London. Attendance is free but tickets are limited. Both schools will also broadcast the event on Twitch, allowing fans another way to watch.

So whether you believe dominus illuminatio mea or hinc lucem et pocula sacra, two of the fiercest rivals in England are set to go head to head.

Header: NSE