Kings Guard Gaming and the College Esports International (CESI) announced the launch of the first ever Collegiate Esports Competition set to take place in Sacramento from August 18 to 20. The early rounds of the competition will take place at FireUp Esports Lounge in Roseville, while the semi-finals and finals will be played at the world’s most technologically advanced arena, Golden 1 Center.
Numerous community colleges and west coast universities will participate in an educational webinar with guest speakers from the Esports field, and ten elite university teams will compete in the tournament designed to test their skills in the popular Rocket League game. In addition, the participants will have the opportunity to interact with members of the Kings Guard Gaming team, the NBA 2K League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. Online coverage of the event will be available via the NBC Sports, CSU Esports, and Fuel Network Twitch channels.
“We are thrilled to partner with College Esports International to help host the inaugural Collegiate Esports Competition,” said Sacramento Kings President of Business Operations John Rinehart. “Esports provides an engaging opportunity for young and eager gamers and Kings Guard Gaming players are the perfect mentors, proof that success and a career in the field is possible.”
“Esports is quickly emerging as a gateway to interesting and exciting career pathways for students, and we are excited to create this platform for engagement and learning,” said CESI Tournament Planning Committee Chair Gordon Hinkle. “Online esports and gaming have been an effective way for students to stay connected during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, and we want to encourage them to use that passion for gaming to consider exciting career opportunities in esports. Integration of digital arts, media and marketing are essential components of the industry, not to mention global avenues in entertainment, computer design, hospitality, event planning, emerging technologies, and more,” added Hinkle.
The tournament will feature students from University of California, Davis; Loyola Marymount University; University of Colorado, Boulder; California State University, Dominguez Hills; San Jose State University; California State University, Fullerton; Fresno State, and Sierra College. Not only are students competing, but they are helping to organize and run the entire competition. Students from several northern California community colleges and representatives of the Global Trade sector will support tech and audio-visual components, stream and cast the gameplay and help with setup and promotion.
Several of the Sacramento region’s business leaders and organizations have shown their support, including the Greater Sacramento Economic Council.
“CESI and the Sacramento Kings Guard have proven to be leaders in developing this high-quality esports competition for the Greater Sacramento region! Our council recognizes the value this type of activity is playing on a global scale and the benefits of introducing students to exciting career pathways in esports industries. We wish this exciting tournament much success and are excited our city can play host,” said Barry Broome, President/CEO of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council.
For more information about the tournament, visit www.CESIesports.com.
For more information or to keep up on the latest Kings Guard Gaming news, visit KingsGuard.gg or follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook – @KingsGuardGG.
