Ka‘ana Mana‘o: The wide world of Esports
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The world came to UH Maui College in December 2024 for the first-ever international academic Esports competition. This past January, eight teams from the U.S., Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, and Australia gathered in Sydney for the follow-up match, now officially known as the Academic Esports World Tournament (AEWT).
As the name suggests, the competition has both academic and gaming components -- 60% academic disciplines and 40% play. Our team is coached by Esports veteran Elton Villanueva. He is greatly admired by the players for his leadership, encouragement, and unwavering belief in the team.
The team was made up of a diverse group of nine players -- six from Maui and three from Molokai. Molokai native, mother of three, and Liberal Arts student Vanalouise Naehu was the only woman on our team. "Being able to represent both my island and our wahine community in that space meant a lot to me," she says.
From being surrounded by students from around the world, to all the players' commitment to their craft, from the supportive environment around the UHMC team, to the folks behind the scenes at the University of New South Wales -- from the production team to the hardworking women who made sure rooms were clean and meals delivered -- all these things made the trip to Sydney "life-changing" for Vanalouise.
She hopes to use her experience to encourage her three boys to think about their futures and the opportunities education can bring. "My middle schooler is really interested in gaming and participates in an after-school sports club at his school. Seeing how excited he was about it made me realize that Esports could also be a bridge to talking about college and higher education. I took this trip partly because I wanted him to see that gaming could lead to academic spaces, teamwork, and real-world opportunities. I hoped that by being part of it myself, I could inspire him and other young students on Molokai to see college as something within their reach." Vanalouise, by the way, will complete her Liberal Arts Degree this semester and plans to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting after that. So she is certainly a role model to her children and others on her home Island.
O'ahu native and father of two Aji Langinbelik currently lives on Molokai and plans to earn an Accounting degree in a couple of years. "I was totally new to the esports world and this was a great opportunity," he says. "There was more to it than just playing games. My favorite part of the tournament besides watching talented people from across the world compete, was the academic side -- creating and participating in a business pitch on how we can implement Esports in the real-world workforce."
On the other end of the Esports experience spectrum, Llyw MacMillan has been interested in video games since he was four! Originally from Japan and now living on Maui, he will earn his Associate's Degree in Creative Media this Spring. "One of my first memories is watching my older brother and his friend playing Castle Crashers on the Xbox 360, and the first Esport I played was Super Smash Bros. Brawl for Nintendo Wii," he says. After moving to Maui he competed in high school and then on our team in the 2024 tournament.
It goes without saying that a trip like this is about much, much more than Esports or even academics. "Watching our students compete against international universities and then step out to experience Sydney together really made this trip special. They grew together as competitors, but more importantly, they grew as people," says Coach Elton.
Our Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Kulamanu Ishihara summed it all up this way. "This experience allowed our students to refine their gaming knowledge and compete in an academic skills environment against national and international opponents. This structure of the program tested their communication, critical thinking and teamwork. The opportunity for our students to travel internationally to compete is one they will treasure for life."
If you or someone you know is a student at any of UH's Community Colleges on any island and would like to join the team, please contact Coach Elton at eltonv@hawaii.edu. For complete information about UH Maui College, please visit maui.hawaii.edu/.
Dr. Lui K. Hokoana is Chancellor of the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College. Ka’ana Mana’o, which means “sharing thoughts,” is scheduled to appear on the fourth Thursday of each month. It is prepared with assistance from UH-Maui College staff and is intended to provide the community of Maui County with information about opportunities available through the college at its Kahului campus and its education centers.