K.P. Patrick is calm, almost cerebral in his approach to the game. Alice Fierge is eager to learn, her eyes pinned in fascination to the screen. Jason Demerest plays a more animated game.

“Wait – what did I just press?”

“Give me that.”

“Oh, there it is – banana gun.” There’s a violent explosion on a big screen inside a room tucked behind the front entrance of the Mexico YMCA. “That is powerful.”

“Yes, I talk a lot when playing,” Demerest admits.

They are part of the YMCA’s Esports Club, an initial four-week dive into the world of electronic gaming. The Y’s Caleb Floyd, who directs the program, refers to it as a way to balance fun and development.

“Slowly we get into strategy,” he said, mentioning goals of teamwork and healthy gaming habits. “We want them to think about it more.”

The first edition of the Esports Club focuses on players second through fifth grade. Because of social distancing, the first course was limited to four players. And the topic is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate!, a fighting game with a bit of Nintendo camp that allows for multiple players.

That’s what attracts Patrick to the game.

“It involves a bunch of characters,” he said.

Esports are becoming a big business. The 2019 World Cup for players of the game Fortnite featured $30 million in prize money doled out to various competitions. Teams and duos vied for a $3 million first place payout.

And the sport is seeping its way to the amateur level. The Hart Career Center in Mexico has an Esports team. Floyd is in the process of starting one at North Callaway High School, as well.

But the YMCA program is less about competition and more about community.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re good as long as you’re having fun,” Patrick said.

But Patrick appears to be good. He handles the controls like a maestro. And he claims to be able to master most new games quickly.

“One game – Jump Force – it took two days to get good at.”

Fierge plays Fortnite “all the time” at home. She enjoys multiplayer games for the challenge and enjoys prodding and pushing for her best.

But while Patrick hopes one day to compete, Fierge doesn’t relish the win. She is taking part in the club in part because she is new to Super Smash Bros.

“I haven’t played it,” she said, working with Floyd to learn the commands. “But I like it.”

Floyd and the YMCA staff designed the program as fun first, with some social and gaming development involved. They are quizzed on how much time they spend on the computer, how often they take breaks from the game at hand. And they are encouraged to interact.

Plus it is a way to introduce the players to new games.

Floyd expects to start new programs in the summer. But this Wednesday night gathering is going well – at least listening to Demerest play.

“Give me that,” he says to an animated opponent. And as the competitor is dispatched, the avid gamer shows no mercy.

“Bye,” he says.