Aztecs competed in an e-sports tournament against students from qualifying schools along the West Coast in Aztec Infinite Games. The two-day event was held on Nov. 22-23 from 12-9 p.m. in Montezuma Hall and offered games, food and prizes to students and spectators alike.

Apart from the tournaments taking place, guests enjoyed side games such as Mario Kart World, Wii Sports, and many more along with giveaways and raffles that dispersed throughout each day. Local vendors also sold their art in the Artist Alley and a Cosplay contest took place the second day of the event. 

In the Fall, Aztec Gaming, SDSU’s e-sports student organization, hosts an Aztec Fall Games for the San Diego State community to participate and enjoy tournament style e-sports competitions. 

This year, the event hosted its largest scale Local Area Network with 10 competition games for potential prizes. LAN makes it possible for players to compete together under one roof as opposed to playing remotely online. 

Andrea Montiel, the e-sports director and Marvel Rivals Coordinator for Aztec Gaming said that the experience is a lot different than playing by herself versus competitively with others who are dedicating time and effort into the game. 

“Its always just a very positive environment,” Montiel stated. 

Participating schools along with Aztec Gaming, competed in online qualifiers to be eligible for the Infinite Games. The video games offered consisted of Rocket League, Overwatch 2, Marvel Rivals, Smash Ultimate, Valorant, CS2, League of Legends, Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8 and 2xKD. 

Rally Cry and Intel are among the list of sponsors that supported the event and helped provide prizes to the winning players. 

At the beginning of the year, Aztec Gaming holds tryouts for their competition teams that get the opportunity to travel, on occasion, to other schools for invitational tournaments. In the Spring, the club hosts a more exclusive LAN event dedicated to its competition teams similar to Infinite Games but higher stakes. 

Media Director for Aztec Gaming, Christopher Konz, mentions that while the community centers around the specific games each individual plays, e-sports provides a positive environment where students can connect and engage with one another through a shared passion. 

“I’m managing the Smash game in particular, so I know there’s a very tight knit San Diego community there that is coming down,” he said. 

Although most players mainly interact with those who play their favorite games, Aztec Gaming gives students the opportunity to connect and compete in shared space.