CBU Hosts First Esports Tournament

CBU Hosts First Esports Tournament

On Thursday, April 4, CBU hosted its first Esports tournament. Esports, short for electronic sports, is defined as organized multiplayer video game competitions that take place between individuals or teams. Esports have been on the rise for the last several years and CBU, in partnership with Soulvaria, is hoping to bring them to Cape Breton Island in a big way.

"We're proud to have hosted our inaugural Esports tournament in partnership with Soulvaria," says Garrett Nicholson, Recreation and Sport Coordinator at CBU. "This is a new offering for students looking to share their interests and compete in a safe and fun environment with like-minded peers."

This pilot event was held at Soulvaria's new space on Welton Street and saw four teams of five players competing in the video game Counter-Strike 2for the top prize. Of the four teams, two were made up of students and employees from CBU, one from the Canadian Coast Guard College (CCGC) and one from others in the local community. Prizes ranged from Dell and Alienware tech to CBU merchandise and more.

The response from each of the players was overwhelmingly positive. All in attendance raved about the positive atmosphere, professional set-up and overall blend of comradery, competitiveness and fun. One member of the CCGC team shared that the tournament completely blew away his expectations.

"There has already been a blooming community of gamers yearning for organized Esports events across the province," says Juwel Jacob, Marketing and Events Assistant with CBU's Athletics and Recreation Department. "Some of the Coast Guard College Players told us gaming is a favourite pastime on their campus and they plan to spread the word about future events amongst their peers."

Thankfully, this is only the beginning for CBU's involvement in the Esports community. Headed up by members of the CBU Recreation team, Garrett Nicholson and Juwel Jacob, with hopes of making Esports events a regular occurrence for CBU and the surrounding community. Their current intentions are to make this monthly to start, with a push to get them bi-weekly once they have found their footing.

"We're open to any and all suggestions on making these events the best they can be," says Garrett. "If you would like to recommend games to play, tournament structures to try or have other ideas, please reach out."

For more information about Esports at CBU, please email [email protected]. If you'd like to participate in future events, you must have an active account on IMLeagues.