Is it really sport or just fun-and-games? 

You are now a registered association - with a clubhouse, treasurer, secretary, and chairperson?
Almost! We have a chairperson, board, treasurer & co. Only the clubhouse is still missing. Unfortunately, we don't have the financial means for that at the moment, but we'll see what the future brings. Nevertheless, we are looking forward to holding online training sessions and events and to organising public screenings, barbecues, and tournaments on site again in the near future.

How did you actually come into being?
In 2014, a handful of interested gamers got together and were supported by the media scientist Prof. Dr. Jochen Koubek and his former research assistant Cyrus Mobasheri. We were allowed to use media science facilities such as their PC pools and lecture halls for events and training sessions, got help setting up e-mail and websites, were allowed to borrow media equipment, and were given important information, such as how properly to book funds at the University. In other words, everything needed for organized e-sports.

When were you founded?
We came into being in the winter semester of 2014/15 as a media studies project, meaning we were pioneers in the German university e-sports scene. We were one of the first, if not the first team, but I'm not quite sure about that... In any case, we gave other university teams tips on how to set up, and some former members of E-Sport UBT helped establish Uniliga, a Germany-wide university league.

Who are your members?
E-Sport UBT e.V. consists of about 75 committed students from all kinds of areas: law, business studies, computer science, media studies, and natural sciences are all represented. The majority of our members, however, come from the field of media studies. Members are divided into organisers, streamers, coaches, and players.

What sort of things get organized or streamed?
We focus mainly on game events such as tournaments or public screenings of e-sports events. In addition, we also offer streams from individuals. In this way, we hope to raise interest in the area of e-sports among local students. The aim is to show that e-sports is competitive ¬- in other words, a real sport. But first and foremost, of course, it’s fun. 

Even if it’s is a cliché: Is it really a sport, even without sweating, pulse meters, and sore muscles?
Unfortunately, we hear that a lot. Of course, the physical exercise component in e-sports is rather small. However, other skills such as hand-eye coordination, the ability to concentrate, and stamina are very important. E-sports, like conventional sports, are competition, which puts a lot of mental strain on the body. As far as the alleged health effects or non-effects are concerned, there was a survey at the Sports University in Cologne that showed that e-sports players usually live healthier lives than the average citizen.

How do you deal with the issue of gaming addiction? Do you keep an eye on it?
Especially in the course of founding the club, we sought to do more to deal with these sorts of issues, make our coaches or players aware of the subject, and counter it with prevention measures as far as possible. Unfortunately, we are not always able to reach every member and check whether it is still pure passion or already an addiction. However, we have appointed a youth protection officer responsible for such concerns, who is available to answer questions, especially from concerned parents.

What is your training like?
Our training is scheduled to take place regularly, with a coach. After all, we want to be contenders in the leagues and tournaments. We currently have ten teams in four different games: League of Legends, Valorant, and Rocket League. We also play Counter Strike Global Offensive, Super Smash Bros., and Pokémon VGC.

How are you organised and where can people participate?
We currently hold bi-weekly orgameetings, which take place online. We are divided into different sections: Social Media, Streaming, Content Creation, Team Coordination, Sponsorship, Design, Events, and Discord & Website. Helping hands and comrades-in-arms are always welcome!

Who can join you?
It doesn't matter if you are a professional player or a complete beginner. Thanks to our founding the club, we are now also open to pupils, trainees, or anyone interested in e-sports in general. Anyone over the age of 16 can join us. However, the university group will continue to exist as part of E-Sport UBT e.V. in order to raise the profile of e-sports among students at the University. We also wish to continue to support the University in research, and are always available for surveys, bachelor's and master's theses, or doctoral dissertations.