Emma Wilder (she/her), 19, is a first-year student at Wichita State University - Technical College (WSU Tech) studying digital marketing. Originally Wilder is from England, but with her father being in the Air Force, her family has moved around a lot. She was born on an Air Force base and lived in England for about nine years, then moved to California for four, and then back to England for another four, and has now been in Kansas for the past two years. 

“With England being the place I was born and where I spent the majority of my life, I would definitely consider it my home,” said Wilder.

Tell me a bit about your current school.

 “WSUTech really aims to engage and create relationships with all of their students. They offer a variety of educational paths and are severely passionate about the well-being of all of their students. Considering school has never been my strong suit, I have never felt more welcomed, supported, and successful in school. WSUTech has really opened my eyes and helped me change my perspective on school by offering an outstanding environment and countless opportunities for me,” said Wilder. “I am currently trying to get my digital marketing associates so I can acquire the basic skills and knowledge I’ll need to work in social media and esports in the future.”

Wilder hasn’t fully decided what she would like to pursue after her two years at WSUTech, however, would like to stay focused in the same direction. 

“I have a few other esports scholarship offers for when I finish at WSU Tech, I would like to continue playing esports at a bigger school,” said Wilder, “The main two games I play now are Rainbow Six Siege (Siege) and Valorant. I’ve been playing Siege for about three years now and Valorant only about two, but I have put thousands of hours into each game. The other games I like to enjoy in my free time though would be CSGO and Lethal Company, and every few months I like to go on a little two-week Minecraft spree. FPS games are my favorite though, I’m a very competitive person so if I play games like that I can only play ranked or comp. Casual games don't give me the adrenaline rush that competitive games do. If I’m going to play, I have to play for something.”

The main role Wilder plays on her team is entry, meaning she gets into the building first and tries to get the first frag of the round. She explained that in some situations she also likes to lurk quite a bit, but it depends on the round and what's going on. She also considers herself a playmaker so when she sees a gap she likes, she will take it.

“I also try to help my in-game leader (IGL) with shot calling and mid-round adaptations since it's hard for one person to call everything. When it comes to defending my main objective is to waste time and get picks, so I like to run around and scare the enemies. Usually, I get one and then run to somewhere where I’m still an issue for them so they have to clear me and waste time,” said Wilder, “The hardest thing about playing this role is knowing when to give up, sometimes I get ahead of myself and get too aggressive. If you don't play this role correctly you're basically just throwing a body and giving the enemy all the space they need to win the round. This role is still a learning experience for me since I don't play it right every round, however, I definitely think I’ve learned a lot since starting and have gained a better understanding of what I need to do to improve.”

Wilder said her brothers have always been a huge influence on her in the gaming department and would always let her play with them no matter how bad she was at the time. Her one brother, Carter, took her with him to the Rocket League Championship in London in 2018, which really jump-started her interest in esports and the whole gaming competitive scene. 

“That event showed me how incredible esports events can get and ever since then I’ve wanted to know what it feels like to be up on that stage,” said Wilder.

 To improve herself in game, she plays at least 30 hours a week, whether it be alone or just with friends. She believes in the saying “Practice makes perfect”. She also tries to play with people she considers better than her so that she can learn from them and push herself to be a better player. 

“I think the main strategy that I carry into my everyday life would just be controlling my mental frame of mind. The mentality is a huge factor, especially in a game like Siege, one player’s mentality can make or break a team. Even if we're 0-6 down in a match, keeping the energy and focus up can carry a team to victory because it's never over until it's really over. Positivity during rough times shows perseverance and willingness to work as hard as you can until the very end,” said Wilder, “Being a part of my team has genuinely been the most rewarding and fulfilling experience I've had in a long time. Because of Covid-19, I didn't get to do any sports for half of my junior year or all of my senior year. So this team has allowed me to compete and build friendships again while also keeping me motivated with school. I love all of my teammates and we've got great team synergy, we all bond outside of esports as well and I’m glad I have the pleasure of being able to call all of my teammates family.”

Wilder’s gamertag is "emmamuah" and the main goal she had when making it was to make sure it looked good written out. She wanted to keep her name in it, while also adding something she could potentially build a brand off of.

“I originally was going to do "emmamwah", since that's how people usually type the sound of a kiss. However, it didn't look correct to me so I switched the W with a U to make it look more symmetrical. I also just wanted to keep my name more feminine with the kiss noise since when I talk in game people tend to ask if I’m a girl or a little boy because I do have a bit of a higher-pitched voice,” said Wilder.

What do you think about the NJCAAE?

“I believe the NJCAAE has the resources to be an incredible organization. Collegiate esports is still fairly new so I think there's always something you can improve on, but from what I've seen so far NJCAAE has built a good foundation. Two major elements for esports in general are organization and communication. Making sure everyone involved is on the same page and is getting the required information for things to go as smoothly as possible. The NJCAAE has shown great potential and I’m looking forward to seeing what they implement and how they continue to improve their league,” said Wilder.

Are there any stereotypes about esports that bother you and why?

“I think the biggest stereotype I would have to disagree with would be that women aren't good at video games. While I do agree that men dominate the esports scene, countless women are top-ranked gamers or pro players who are more than capable of competing against top-rated players,” said Wilder, “I personally try to work towards proving this stereotype wrong by aiming for some of the highest ranks in every game I touch. I have been champion in Siege for at least seven seasons in a row with my peak rank being 87th in the world.”

Do you have any advice for young gamers? 

“My advice to young gamers would be if you're really passionate about it and could see yourself competing at a top level, don't give it up. While esports is becoming more socially accepted, it is still seen as illegitimate by some generations. Esports is only going to keep growing therefore so is the competition. but I believe playing games teaches you important things that even your everyday life can't. At the end of the day, my advice is really to just have fun. The original purpose of games was entertainment, so always try to keep a good mentality and just live your youth,” said Wilder.

Five years from now, Wilder would like to move away from home to start her personal life and work in esports in some capacity. She would like to be a social media manager for a known organization. Finally, she would like to make a difference, whether it be for one person or a million people.

“I believe I bring a lot to the table and I really see myself thriving in the esports community,” said Wilder.

Wilder likes to stream on Twitch and has been building a community on there for the last six years. 

“My ultimate dream job is to be a streamer however it's always been my backup plan since it feels out of reach to me. I would like to continue to grow so I hopefully work towards that dream someday,” said Wilder.

Find her below!

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/emmamuah 

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@emmamuah?si=JYlIsVhcTh5wfhoe