On The Up: Young gamers level up from Rotorua lounge to esports grand stage

Jacob Sowerby, Zenyn-Ray Rika, Ollie Deal and Vinny Crouch. Photo / Annabel Reid

A parental attempt to teach a lesson about gaming all the time has instead put four Rotorua kids on a path to international esports glory.

The 10- and 11-year-old Rotorua and Kaharoa Primary School pupils have qualified for the live finals of Asia-Pacific school esports competition, the FUSE Cup, to be held as part of the FUSE Esports Festival in Australia in November.

The boys would play Rocket League – a popular game they described as “like soccer with cars”, but the cars have modifications. Players compete to score goals in a high-speed virtual arena.

All Vinny Crouch wanted to do was play Rocket League, according to parents Kristina Gracie and Tamati Bryers.

The Ngongotahā couple, both teachers, went looking for a way to turn his passion into something purposeful.

“We wanted to give [Vinny] a purpose for playing, not just to kill time,” Bryers said.

They “stumbled across” the FUSE Cup and signed him up as a “wildcard” in the online tournament.

Vinny formed a team with his cousin Jacob Sowerby and friends Ollie Deal and Zenyn-Ray Rika. They named it Dominusdiddi.

Vinny and Jacob had previously won a small Rocket League tournament.

“We were trying to be good parents, thinking they would sign up for the FUSE Cup, we’d spend some money, they’d get a hiding and realise they are not actually that good,” Bryers said.

“But then from game one, they smoked them [the other teams].”

They played in pairs, with Vinny and Ollie competing as one duo, while Jacob and Zenyn-Ray formed the other.

Vinny and Ollie’s first match ended in a 10-0 win. From there, it was one convincing victory after another, said Bryers.

They were competing against teams with “professional set-ups”. The boys competed on TVs in their living room.

“The only close game was the grand final,” Bryers said. This was the game where Vinny and Ollie played against Jacob and Zenyn-Ray.

An image from the popular game Rocket League.

Bryers said the team would represent New Zealand in Rocket League at the FUSE Cup live finals for Year 5 to Year 8. It would feature top student gamers, playing in front of a live audience.

Asked what they were most excited about for their trip to the Gold Coast, the boys said “Australian food”, “fairy bread”, “chiko rolls” – and “playing everyone”.

Their favourite part of playing Rocket League? “Winning”.

Bryers said it all had blown his mind. If the boys won the FUSE Cup, it could open the door to a bigger international competition.

“Gaming doesn’t have to be a mindless babysitter, it can actually bring opportunities.”

He said it was important to “step into your kids’ world a little bit” as it was “very different to how it was for us as kids”.

Gracie said gaming had become something that was “educational and purposeful”.

“It’s educational, it’s creative, it’s teamwork. It’s all the soft skills that kids need.”

She said it gave kids “a place to belong” when they were introverted or did not participate in more traditional competitive sports.

Rotorua Primary School esports suite. Photo / Annabel Reid

Rotorua Primary School is one of few Kiwi schools with an esports suite, the school’s esports coordinator Max Lawson said.

He said the computers were multipurpose and it was a space where students could immerse themselves purposefully in the world of gaming and technology.

A teacher aide, Lawson was originally hired to run esports at the school while he studied to become a teacher.

He had been playing Rocket League for 10 years and said the kids were already “far beyond” the level he was when he started at 16.

Jacob and Zenyn-Ray are in his class and had been training during lunchtimes to sharpen their skills, he said.

“They’re very, very talented.”

Lawson said esports helped students in the same ways as traditional sports, offering a place to build discipline, community and confidence.

“It’s just another sport,” he said.

“You’re developing individual skills, then putting them into a team environment, just like rugby or basketball.”

The FUSE Cup will be held at Gold Coast Southern Cross University’s Coolangatta campus on November 14 and 15.

Jacob’s mum Amanda Gallacher said the team would need help from the Rotorua community to get them to the Gold Coast.

The families needed about $10,000 to cover essentials such as travel, accommodation and uniforms, she said.

“It’s a big deal,” Gallacher said.

She said supporting the team was about backing young Māori talent on a global digital stage.

“These boys are helping shape what it means to be young Māori and excellence in their global digital landscape.

“Sponsorship for them offers a chance to walk alongside them from Rotorua to the world.”

Anyone interested in supporting the team should email tamati.bryers@gmail.com.

Annabel Reid is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, based in Rotorua. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, she has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canterbury.