Esports Tournaments Near Me

Passionate players want to get competitive in playing video games with other players. The best way to accomplish this is to compete in esports tournaments. They are organized events where professional players compete with each other in competitive video games in order to win a prize. They are similar to other sporting events like basketball where there are spectators cheering on the players and commentators giving the play-by-play on the video games being played.

Players have always been playing video games with each other for a long time, from personal computers (PC) to home gaming consoles like the PlayStation or Xbox. The internet allow them to play against each other online from anywhere in the world. Some players started joining local LAN parties or local tournaments to compete with each other. This gives it a more professional structure and led to the growth of local esport scenes.

I personally attended a local esports tournament at my community college. I saw many spectators like myself intensely watching the players compete in games such as Street Fighter on the big screens and found myself cheering them on during the matches. I could feel the passion from the roaring of the crowd and the dramatic play-by-play by the commentators. I could talk freely to the players, spectators, or organizers which lead to a friendly atmosphere. All this added up to a very rewarding experience and I may return for future tournaments.

How to Find Esports Tournaments in Your Area

There are ways to find local esports events. The most direct way is through social media groups on Reddit and/or Discord. You can type “City name – Reddit/Discord/Facebook – Game title – Esports” on Google and search in the results.¹ Another way would be checking out any nearby colleges and universities to see if they are hosting any esport events. I found my local esports scene by accident through a monthly email I get from my local community college – BrookdaleCC.

Some universities like Rutgers – have clubs where players can join based on what games they want to play like OverWatch 2 or Valorant. Most of these clubs have an online Discord server where people can log into the server and network/communicate with other players about the games. Discord also allows players to make announcements about any upcoming epsorts events/tournaments as well.

Online only esports tournaments where players can compete for prizes are another option as well. Websites such as Battlefy.com or Challonge.com provide a listing of any upcoming epsorts tournaments where players can join and meet other players. Players can even host their own tournaments with other players as well. There are tools such as score reporting and lobby creation that can help players to organize their events.

Battlefy.com

Preparing for Your First Esports Tournament Experience

There are a lot of things you can expect at a local esports event. There could be crowds of people sitting in rows of seats watching the game on the big screens. The main competitors are usually on a stage sitting in a row with screens in front of them and with a controllers or a keyboard/mouse in their hands playing the game against each other. The sounds projecting from the large speakers from the game with the commentators calling out the play by play can make the event feel very exciting.

Here are some tips as a competitor:

Schedule. Try and follow the tournament schedule as close as possible. There could be many matches and taking breaks can help prevent exhaustion and keep you in good performance.
Rules. Being familiar with the tournament rules. Example: no cell phone use during the match.
Eating. Bring foods and snacks. This will help prevent any unforseen stomach or digestion issues during the game matches.
Fun. Make friends and have fun! This is an experience that will help you learn and grow. Making new friends will make the experience more memorable by discussing with each other what you liked or how you might want to improve in future matches.

There are some general rules to follow at most esports tournaments.

Encouraging players. Cheering for the players is great. This helps keep the game matches exciting and up-beat.
Courtesy. Be respectful to players, spectators, and the event organizers. Everyone wants the game matches to run smoothly without any negative disruptions.
Minimize destructive feedback. Keep toxic behavior like trash talking to a minimum. A positive atmosphere helps keep the tournament organized and prevents it from going out-of-control.

Expanding Your Horizon: Beyond Local Events

When you start playing in local esports tournaments, you gain experience and familiarity with the format of the event and how the game matches are played. Local players can help determine what is your current skill level and may provide tips on how to improve. It’s possible to form a new team with the current players in future tournaments or even participate in larger, online tournaments or venues.

Eventually, competitive players can compete on numerous regional, national or even international esport tournaments. Some tournaments are based a single game and is hosted by the developers like “The International” tournament which is is based on the DOTA 2 game and is hosted by the Valve Corporation. This tournament is held in many countries like the United States and Denmark and the prize pool is high, at around $40 million.² There are tournaments that include multiple esport games and events like the Esports World Cup held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia which includes popular games such as League of Legends and Counter Strike 2. This tournament is actually sponsored by the nation’s Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in order to help diversify the country’s economy.

The competitive epsorts scene is kept alive through its online communities and social platforms. Many players post their videos of their game matches on Youtube and Twitch. It’s possible to stream the game matches live on Twitch and have people in the comments section provide live feedback as the game is played at the same time. Any new updates or news on the latest esports tournaments can be posted on the Discord platform where many gamers follow on a daily basis to chat and talk about topics ranging from gaming to watching online shows together on Netflix.