‘LEGEND’-ARY ESPORTS TRIUMPHS
Tourney lures ‘Leagues’ of video game fans to Hub
Tens of thousands of video game fans will pack the TD Garden this weekend to witness some of the nation’s best pro gamers duke it out for a place in the “League of Legends” world championship — an esports first for the Hub arena that analysts predict soon will be a billion-dollar entertainment industry.
“Esports are here to stay,” said Jarred Kennedy, co-founder of Esports, Riot Games. “We’re looking to build something in the long term. Sports will continue to be sports. We’re not looking to supplant anyone, but we want to provide an outlet ... We find the best players in the world. When you find the best players in the world, it’s compelling to watch.”
Organizers of the competition say more than 20,000 people are expected to watch “League of Legends” matches at the Garden this weekend. Today’s highly anticipated championship round between the top two teams — the Immortals and Team SoloMid — is already sold out.
In a “League of Legends” match, two teams of five players try to destroy their opponents’ base, battling with everything from ninjas and knights to robots. The matches are best of five. Today’s matchup between the Immortals and Team SoloMid will determine who moves on to the global championship in Beijing.
And as the pressure-packed games unfolded live on massive screens attached to the TD Garden Jumbotron, the thousands of fans cheered, high-fived and clapped with inflatable noisemakers as if they were watching the Celtics or Bruins fighting for a playoff spot.
Many of the gamers who crowded into the Garden yesterday said they traveled to Boston to see their favorite online players compete.
“This has its place in sporting events,” said Mark Jones, 23 of
Boston. “It may not be physical but it is mentally taxing. It’s up there with chess. It definitely has to do with the generation we are. Older people didn’t grow up with video games the way we did.”
Tyler Fay, 25, of Albany, N.Y., who traveled to the Hub to attend the event with his new wife, Ashley, as part of their honeymoon, said esports is inclusive.
“We get to be involved in this,” Fay said of the growing “League of Legends” community. “If you’re good enough for the game — you can play.”
And as a generation of kids who grew up as gamers seek out more complex and competitive games, many industry analysts are predicting the world of esports could eventually overtake traditional sports. One recent report estimates the esports industry will balloon into a $1.5 billion market by 2020.
Elliott Wilkinson, 22, who came all the way from Cincinnati for yesterday’s showcase, said he felt at home among the other fans.
“You know how people playing sports will find community,” he said. “This is ours.”
Quinn Manning, 22, agreed, saying, “I think this is the next big thing.”