Regina’s Queen City Exhibition recently demonstrated that hosting an esports tournament is viable, which means Moose Jaw could also hold similar events and contribute to the growing gaming scene.
The QCX teamed up with SKL Esports and The Matrix Gaming Centre to put on Fortnite and Super Smash Bros. tournaments during the July 31 to Aug. 4 fair. In both tournaments players competed for a prize pot of $10,000. This is the largest prize ever offered for competitive gaming in the province.
The video games industry is now bigger than the music and movie industries combined and has led to the rise of a major esports scene, according to the League of Professional Esports. By the end of this year, the gaming industry is expected to generate $151 billion, compared to $43 billion for Hollywood and $20 billion for the music industry. Professional sports leagues like the NBA have even established their own esports leagues.
Fortnite has become the biggest game on the planet since being released in 2017, with more than 250 million players worldwide taking part in the popular online-only multiplayer Battle Royale Mode. Meanwhile, more people watch esports than the Super Bowl.
Matrix Gaming Centre
The Matrix has been in business in Regina for 17 years, and in that time, owner Mark Lloyd has never seen a game such as Fortnite dominate in terms of gameplay hours in the store.
Esports has really taken off this year and become a big thing, Lloyd said. Tournaments at every skill level are held everywhere. The Matrix has held tournaments for League of Legends (LOL) and Fortnite and offered $1,000 prizes.
Moose Jaw Gamers’ Association
The Moose Jaw Gamers’ Association (MJGA) would be the likely organizer of an esports tournament here. The non-profit charity has hosted smaller gaming tournaments before, while it helped The Matrix promote the tournaments at the Queen City Ex.
The Matrix has also sponsored the association’s Summer Gamer Expos (GAX).
“It’s fantastic,” MJGA spokesman Kristian Sjoberg said about the fair’s esports tournaments. “It is so huge. Gaming and the gaming industry and esport industry is so huge around the world that it needs its time in the sun.
“Thirty years of playing video games in dark, dank basements, we can now come out of those basements and play in the limelight and show off our skills,” he chuckled.
Moose Jaw Exhibition Grounds
One possible place to hold an esports tournament is at the Moose Jaw Exhibition fair grounds, said Sjoberg. MJGA members have spoken with exhibition officials in the past, who have said the Golden Nugget Centre might do well for an esports competition.
“The hardest part is getting volunteers to be able to run something like that … ,” he continued. “But by no means is it impossible to do one in Moose Jaw.”
Sjoberg added that the MJGA has reached 1,500 volunteer hours this year, which is “not bad for a small group of nerds.”
The Golden Nugget Centre can hold 200 people, so it is an option, said exhibition manager George Fowler. However, the convention centre is much larger and would probably be the best location since those tournaments need room.
“We’re interested in pretty much hosting any event,” he said, adding no one has contacted him yet about holding an eSports tournament. “We certainly have good facilities. I think we could certainly host them here.”
The Matrix has approached the MJGA about hosting an esports tournament in Moose Jaw. However, The Matrix would decide what games to play since it has the necessary number of computer systems, Sjoberg explained. There would be less chance of cheating if everyone used the same system, which would also level the playing field.
Tournament costs
It would be expensive to host 200 to 500 people, especially if The Matrix had to purchase individual game licences at $70 each, said Sjoberg. However, it could simply host a Fortnite tournament, which is free to play.
Having a suitable venue is important since an esports tournament is a significant event and would cost $25,000 to hold, said Lloyd. Venue officials would have to support the event to ensure it success.
Regina QCX
“We took more than 80 gaming systems (to the QCX),” said Lloyd. “It was a task to put together.”
More than 400 competitors took part in the tournaments, which were held over the three days, he continued. The Matrix faced growing pains since this was the first time it had held such events at the exhibition.
Most issues were beyond the business’ control. For example, the Evraz Place IT department refused to let The Matrix hook up to the internet ahead of time to stress test its system. Then Evraz’s email server went down for 18 hours, which affected communications with tournament participants.
Between July 31 and Aug. 1, a new patch for Fortnite dropped, which meant Matrix employees scrambled to apply them to the machines. Applying the patch meant they lost access to all the previous data, so staff had to determine who the top 50 tournament players were and then invite them to play in the finals.
“It was a pretty ambitious tournament,” Lloyd added. “It was the biggest in the country. No one has done what we did. … I’m pretty sure there will be a next time. We’ll be better prepared.”
