When someone tells you that video games will rot your brain, one Fairfield Career Center student will beg to differ and can explain how it actually can open doors for a lifetime.
Esports, or competitive video gaming, is still a relatively new concept. But Cristian Alvarez, a senior Criminal Justice student at Fairfield Career Center, is learning just how far it can take him.
Like many kids, playing video games has been part of Cristian’s life since childhood. It wasn’t until high school that he realized he could play competitively. He joined the esports team at his home high school, Groveport Madison, and the rest is history.
From Fortnite and Overwatch to Smash Bros. and Chess, his esports team has made a name for itself, placing second in the region and fourth in the state last year. Cristian ranks among the top players in the world in Fortnite. His skill level has earned him multiple college scholarship offers after applying to nearly 10 schools, but Marietta College stood out above the rest.
He met with the coach at Marietta College over the fall months, and soon after, officially became a Pioneer, both in collegiate competitive gaming and for his college of choice. Cristian specializes in the popular console and PC game, Fortnite, where gamers enter an arena and battle other players from around the world until there is only one individual or team left standing. His goal, on the esports side, is to qualify for the World Cup of Fortnite where the best gamers congregate and compete against one another for a piece of a multi-million dollar pot of money. That, and to help put Marietta College esports on the map.
In addition to continuing his path in esports, he plans on taking what he’s learned at Eastland-Fairfield and turning it into a job to support him while studying at college. Cristian said that learning from guest speakers plus being trained in self-defense, CPR, and first aid will help land a job to support him and his education.
He’s not wasting any time. Thanks to the connections he’s made at Eastland-Fairfield and while on visits to Marietta, he hopes to work for campus security or find a corrections officer position near the college while working toward his degree.
Cristian will be studying pre-law at Marietta and already has his career roadmap planned out. Within five years, he wants to be working in the law enforcement sector, beginning as a corrections officer and then advance to become a patrol officer. Eventually, he wants to train and be a part of a SWAT team in tactical operations. When we asked him what his BIG dreams are, he shared that he wants to one day work for the FBI or DEA.
Cristian chose Eastland-Fairfield because he wanted something that would give him experience and that he could use in his future.
To others who are thinking about the career technical school route, he said, “It really gives you a chance to explore what you think you want to do. It gives you a lot of new opportunities and new friends.”
As Cristian’s journey shows, the world of esports is more than just fun and games — it’s a launching pad for incredible opportunities.