General Science and Technology Student Life

Student president of MSU Texas Esports & Gaming has goals for program in 2024-25

Andy Newberry
23 August 2024
3 min read

Nicole Thompson grew up in the Wichita Falls area and watched as Midwestern State University grew into the "Most Beautiful College Campus" in Texas.

But attending Electra High School, she probably didn’t imagine she’d be president of the MSU Texas Esports & Gaming. Thompson started college at Roanoke College in Virginia after four years in the Navy but then came home to Wichita Falls and MSU Texas.

She didn’t know she’d find a family with MSU Texas Esports & Gaming.

“I’m a homebody, and I don’t get out a lot,” Thompson said. “It was fun. I met my entire team, and we got really close. We would go to lunch or dinner, and we all talk constantly. It was nice to have like-minded people I could talk to about school and stuff. It made a good bond and camaraderie I wouldn’t have found otherwise.”

She tried out and made the Overwatch 2 team at MSU Texas. She loved the competition. This year, she’ll also be a leader.

“I am so excited to be working with Nicole this upcoming year as she steps into the vacancy left by Riviere Adams to be our MSU TX Esports & Gaming President,” MSU Texas Esports & Gaming Coordinator Zach Zoet said. “I’m glad her peers nominated and elected her. She is a phenomenal person. She’s an enthusiastic, caring, and driven leader with a unique perspective. As our Esports and Gaming initiatives enter our three-year mark, we couldn’t be happier to see the bold directions she takes us. We’re looking forward to another year of bringing awesome moments to our gaming community and the broader MSU Texas community.”

Thompson learned about Esports & Gaming from seeing a flyer on campus. She’s glad she did.

“I’ve played video games since I was 8, and I have played Overwatch since it came out,” Thompson said. “You can play online, but it’s not nearly the same as playing on a team. You practice, and you get to know how

MSU Texas President Stacia Haynie enjoyed visiting the MSU Texas Esports & Gaming lounge — MSU Texas President Stacia Haynie enjoys watching MSU Texas Esports & Gaming competitors in Legacy. In top photo, Nicole Thompson (Ellorianna) and Overwatch teammate Andrew Pearson (WaveTsunami). Andrew is a starting roster for the Overwatch team and also one the Esports student director.

(your teammates) play. We would see how our other teams were doing and try to do better than them.”

As a mother and military veteran, Thompson realizes she might not fit the profile of a gamer. But she believes she fits in perfectly as many from various backgrounds.

“It’s eye-opening – you have all these people from different walks of life,” she said. “In that way, it’s like the military in that you come together. I’m a mom, and looking at the gaming community, I see those who are figuring out life and trying to find a place for themselves. I’m someone they can go to, and it makes the MOM in me happy. I think they call me the mom of the discord.”

She has goals for Esports & Gaming before she finishes graduate school. The President of MSU Texas Esports & Gaming balances the needs of casual gamers and competitive gamers; manages the Esports & Gaming Lounge in Legacy, manages streams and the online communities among many other duties.

“I want to get our name out there; I know there are a lot of people who play games, but they may not know we exist,” Thompson said. “We have an entire lounge of PlayStations and computers, we have all the gaming consoles, and I want it to be more utilized. Maybe a new student didn’t have room to pack their Xbox, and they missed playing games.

“I want to have an impact. I want the club to succeed. I love the Esports team, and I want to foster a sense of community between everybody.”