Containing competitive teams for eight different video games, having almost 2,000 Discord members, and being a welcoming and inclusive community to all, the New Mexico State esports program has quickly become one of the fastest growing programs on campus. All this success can be credited to Student President Ryan “pack” May, and the rest of his team.
May, a 24-year-old senior of Filipino decent, is in the final year of his path to a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. He took on the role of esports student president in October 2021.
May says it has been a dream come true to fulfill such a role.
“My passion for esports and this incredible community is what drives me every day,” he said. “It’s fulfilling to witness other students witness what our esports community has to offer.”
Born and raised in Deming, New Mexico, May has been playing video games since 2004 when his dad bought him and his brother a PlayStation 1 for Christmas. Since then, his favorite game has come to be League of Legends. May played for the program’s secondary League of Legends team in 2016.
May’s “pack” gamertag derives from his original gamertag that he came up with when he was 12 years old, “XxPaCkMaNxX.”
Chief Marketing Officer of Esports, Victor “Trickyvic99” Sierra, says May is by far one of the most influential people in the organization and holds a lot of responsibility.
“Ryan [May] is our primary face of recognition when it comes to the administrative part of being a student organization,” Sierra said. “[He] has always led with a drive to push the limits of what esports can accomplish and this has led to so many awesome accomplishments.”
With the start of a new school year, the esports program is backed with a ton of momentum from the year prior. May notes that he is looking forward to seeing “continued success” from the Call of Duty team that became good enough to defeat teams ranked among the top four in the country last year. Along with the CoD team, May is excited to see the production from new recruits. More specifically, Pyzro and Freezer, who turned down offers from Boise State and the University of Texas at Dallas respectively to come play at NMSU.
According to May, as far as the esports program is concerned, the mission is simple. “Going beyond video games … esports is about the inclusive community, academic opportunities, career readiness initiatives, and of course, fierce competition,” May explained.
Video games and competitive esports are a passion and a release for many people in the NMSU community. Be on the lookout for the NM State Esports program this year as it continues to rise with potential and continues to pursue inclusion and opportunities for students.
