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Posted: 7/11/19

TAMIU Hosts First Esports Statewide Video Game Tournament Saturday

 

Game Controller
 

Video gamers from across the state will convene at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) to take part in an upcoming “Battle at the Border”  Super Smash Bros. Ultimate gaming tournament this Saturday, July 27 from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. in the Western Hemispheric Trade Center, room 111.

Over 100 gamers throughout the state have been invited to take part in the tournament by host student club, the TAMIU Smash Club, along with support from the University’s Student Government Association. The tournament is sponsored by Xtreme VR, INeedMerch.com, the Electric Lounge, and Seikatsu Anime and Gaming Lounge, 

Pre-registration for the event is available at https://smash.gg/tournament/battle-at-the-border-a-laredo-smash-ultimate-regional/.

A $20 entry fee is required. For individuals traveling from outside of Laredo, on-campus housing also is available for an additional fee.

While there are no age restrictions, players under 18 are required to submit a parental consent form when setting up their online accounts. Competitors are required to bring their own game controllers.

Cash prizes will be awarded to top competitors.

During the Smash tournament, players agree on a stage map from a curated list by tournament organizers and choose their character.

Each player has three lives and seven minutes to complete each game. They must win two games to advance further in the tournament. If a player loses two games, they can compete in the second part of the tournament bracket.

Established February 2019, the TAMIU Smash Club is a student organization boasting over 20 members and counting. The organization sponsor is Dr. Arthur Soto-Vasquez, TAMIU assistant professor of communication.

The student group hopes that this opportunity to host a regional gaming tournament will showcase the talent of local gamers.

“We want to increase the visibility of esports in Laredo and to expand the community to include more people. TAMIU has skilled individuals and we have shown it during a previous tournament at College Station, where one of our local players defeated a top Texas gamer ranked sixth in the Dallas-Fort Worth area,” explained TAMIU Smash member Luis Arriaga.

An international phenomenon, esports is competitive video gaming often organized through leagues or teams facing off against each other. Often, these teams play popular, at-home games such as Overwatch, Call of Duty, League of Legends, Madden NFL, and more. 

A reported total of 454 million viewers watch gamers through popular online streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch. Top worldwide tournaments tout major viewership with the most watched esports tournament reaching over 200 million concurrent viewers across the world.

Revenues from these ventures are expected to increase over $1 billion, according to a recent report by Reuters.

For more information on the upcoming gaming tournament, please contact Arriaga at luisarriaga@dusty.tamiu.edu or visit the Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/TAMIUSmash.

University office hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

For more of the University’s story, visit tamiu.edu or its social media sites on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.