In May 2016, the eSports Cologne (ECO) project originally started with a small group of interested parties under the approval of the President’s Office at the German Sport University Cologne. This initially involved a single university team in the game League of Legends. With support from the Institute for Exercise Therapy and Exercise-Oriented Prevention and Rehabilitation, this university team participated in the university eSports league for several years and also in ongoing research projects. From the beginning, the “SpoHo team” has been playing for the championship with the best university teams in Germany. Due to the close cooperation with research, the eSports Cologne project is still unique in Germany. In the meantime, the independent association eSports Cologne e.V. developed from the university project in 2020. Since then, numerous other teams have followed in several eSports game titles. Thus, the former university team of the DSHS developed into an organization, which today represents the entire university eSports in Cologne.
League of Legends is a quick, competitive online game which combines the speed and intensity of real-time strategy with role playing elements. Two teams consisting of five players each go head to head. With a selection of over 145 characters, a unique team structure is chosen preceding every game, which, as far as possible, counteracts the winning strategy of the opposing team. At the end, the team which destroys the base of the opposing team, the so-called ‚nexus‘, wins. In doing so, a strategic approach, reaction, cooperation within the team and skill are very important to achieve success. With over 115 million active players, League of Legends is one of the most popular games worldwide in terms of player numbers and has been crowned eSports Game of the Year several times.
In the fast-paced gameplay of what is currently the second largest game in eSports Cologne, cars and soccer are main components. Here, two teams of three players each fight to see who can control their own car best and thus always keep the ball in play. In Rocket League, the team that scores more goals wins (as in soccer). A boost helps to move as fast as possible through the arena, both on the ground and in the air. By skillfully using the boost, it is possible to take off with the car for a short time into the air and fly. This often results in spectacular flying maneuvers and fascinating passing games, which make Rocket League extremely worth watching, even for spectators unfamiliar with the game.
You are studying in the area of Cologne and would like to join a team in the university league? Maybe you are new and want to learn how to improve in your game? Or you are just interested in what an eSports club does and want to learn more about it? Just contact us by sending an email to info@esport.cologne or join the community discord.
Be one step ahead of your opponents from now on thanks to reliable, scientific findings. As a participant, you will be making a considerable contribution to the further development of research and, at the same time, profit from the results regarding your performance.
