College Rival Slugfests to Take Center Stage as World’s Largest Digital Gaming Festival Completes U.S. Tour
DreamHack is once again leading a partnership with the American Video Game League (AVGL) and Twitch Student to host two college esports events on DreamHack Denver’s main stage Friday, Oct. 20 and Saturday, Oct. 21. The events include 1) collegiate grudge matches featuring 10 regional Overwatch and League of Legends teams; and 2) the first, annual Collegiate League of Legends Championship, presented by Twitch and HyperX, featuring the top two finalists of an online, nationwide tournament.
DreamHack — known as the world’s largest digital gaming festival — is scheduled to visit Denver for the first time Friday, Oct. 20 through Sunday, Oct. 22, at Denver’s National Western Complex.
“Esports is among the world’s leading forms of entertainment for young adults. Still, collegiate esports programs were almost nonexistent until recently,” said DreamHack Chief Executive Officer Marcus Lindmark. “Recent findings show 50 U.S. colleges have now established varsity gaming teams. At DreamHack, we are becoming a standard bearer for hosting collegiate esports championships.”
The esports phenomenon has grown faster among the nation’s college-age young men than many realize. According to a recent article in the Rolling Stone, young men in the U.S. (ages 18-25) now watch more esports than regular sports. This trend appears to be accelerating. DreamHack is playing a key role in supporting the growth of college esports and celebrating its rising stars.
Collegiate Esports Events:
Grudge Matches
The first event will consist of the following list of collegiate esports teams. Gamers will compete on DreamHack Denver’s main stage Friday, Oct. 20 and Saturday, Oct. 21. Up to five Overwatch college matches will take place Friday; one League of Legends match will complete the grudge match competitions Saturday. Each of the following teams will play a single match. Competing university teams involved thus far represent 160,000 students, collectively. All matches will be broadcast live at twitch.tv/dreamhack. Winning teams will receive a trophy and the glory of defeating their rival before a global, online audience. All competitors will earn prize packages from HyperX, a leading provider of high-performance gaming products.
- Colorado State University
- Boise State University
- University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
- Colorado School of Mines
- University of Denver
- University of Northern Colorado
- University of Utah
- Arizona State University
- University of Arizona
- University of Colorado, Boulder
League of Legends Championship
DreamHack and AVGL are teaming together to present DreamHack’s first annual Collegiate League of Legends Championship presented by Twitch and HyperX. The two-week online tournament began Thursday, Sept. 21, with 110 participating teams. Over 350 matches were played to determine the top 2 teams, Columbia College and the University of Houston, who will play the Grand Final at DreamHack Denver.
- The tournament features 110 registered college teams.
- Teams were be split into groups of five based on region.
- Top teams from the group stages graduated to a single elimination championship on Oct 1.
- The top two teams will travel to Denver to play the Grand Final on DreamHack’s Main Stage Oct 21.
- Each team member will receive a travel stipend, hotel rooms, and a three-day BYOC ticket.
- Players will all receive prize packages from HyperX.
- Online match replays can be found on twitch.tv/AVGL. The Grand Final will be broadcast on twitch.tv/dreamhack.
- College Team List: http://www.avglcollege.org/view-teams.php?league=24.
Competing schools include: Harvard, Georgia Tech, California Polytechnic State University, University of Utah, Georgia State University, Robert Morris University, University of Colorado at Boulder, UMass, University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M, University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), University of Toronto Mississauga, Michigan Technological University, New York City College of Technology, Clemson University, Drexel University, University of Arizona, Baylor University, University of Northern Iowa, and many more.
Esports
Competitive gaming has become a booming entertainment industry over the past decade. According to 2017 data provided by NewZoo, the global esports audience will total 385 million this year, including 191 million “esports enthusiasts” and 194 million “occasional viewers.” NewZoo states global esports awareness will reach 1.3 billion in 2017, up from 1.1 billion in 2016. The number of esports participants globally will reach 58.4 million this year, up from 49.8 million in 2016. The Esports economy will grow to $696 Million in 2017, a year-on-year growth of 41.3%. North America is the largest esports market, with revenues of $257 million projected for 2017.
DreamHack Denver Festival
DreamHack, the world’s largest video game festival, is scheduled to run Friday, Oct. 20 – Sat. Oct. 22 at Denver’s National Western Complex. Denver marks the final of three cities for DreamHack’s premiere U.S. tour. The festival made its U.S. debut during 2016 in Austin, Texas. It ran in Atlanta in July 2017 and will make its final stop in Denver October 20–22. Purchase tickets here.
DreamHack is a meeting place for gamers. During the three-day, non-stop festival, DreamHack Denver will host its keystone event — a massive 24-hour-a-day LAN party — along with a host of other activities. Gamers can participate or watch professionals compete in esports tournaments offering a prize pool of more than $250,000. Major titles include: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Hearthstone, Halo 5, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Wii U, Tekken 7, Street Fighter V, Marvel Infinite, Guilty Gear, Pokken DX, Mario Kart 8, Battlegrounds, Overwatch, League of Legends, Dota 2, Rocket League, Starcraft II and more.
The festival also offers the DreamExpo Hall, Bring Your Own Computer (BYOC) LAN, virtual reality demos, open-play PC and console areas, arcades, video game tournaments open to the public, a tabletop gaming area featuring a three-day Magic: The Gathering tournament with a $10,000 prize pool, arcade zone, free-play PC & console area, cosplay competition, discussion panels & learning opportunities, family-friendly events, local university video game grudge matches and a live music concert. Other announcements are forthcoming.
DreamHack is a family-friendly event. Attendees range in age from elementary school through senior citizen, though most players are young adults ages 14–35.
Complete festival lineup and details are here.
Additional Information
Tickets
- Day passes: $20; three-day weekend passes: $45. Purchase tickets here.
- Kids under five are FREE
- Concert tickets are included with the cost of the Friday day pass or three-day weekend pass