Electronic Arts cancels esports events after Florida shooting
VIDEO-GAME publisher Electronic Arts has suspended a major esports tournament following a shooting at a live-streamed game in Florida.
David Katz, a 24-year-old from Baltimore, opened fire in Jacksonville on Sunday, killing two people before he turned the gun on himself. The shooting was captured on camera, with gunshots heard before the feed was disconnected.
“There were nine victims transported by JFRD [local fire and rescue] to area hospitals. Some of those have gunshot wounds. There were two additional gunshot victims that selftransported themselves to local hospitals,” said sheriff Mike Williams.
Three events have been cancelled by EA to allow the firm to conduct a “comprehensive review of safety protocols” amid criticism over the lack of security.
EA chief executive Andrew Wilson said, “This is the first time we’ve had to confront something like this as an organisation, and I believe the first time our gaming community has dealt with a tragedy of this nature.”
He said he was “filled with shock and grief ” over the shooting. Taylor Robertson, 28, and Elijah Clayton, 22, who died, were “respected, positive and skilled competitors”, he added.
In 2015, two men drove with weapons from Iowa to the Pokémon World Championship in Boston and posted messages about plans for “another Boston massacre”.
In December, the Call of Duty World League tournament held in Dallas was twice evacuated due to bomb threats.
Competitor Derek Jones of Santa Fe, New Mexico, was outside the venue on Sunday when he heard the gunshots. He did not see security at the venue.
“I’ve been telling them this for a while, that you need to make the players feel safe,” Mr Jones said.
Industry insiders claim security has not caught up with the popularity of esports. The market was valued at $1.5bn (£1.2bn) in 2017 and global esports revenue is expected to grow
26pc by 2020.
“Unfortunately, this was a matter of when not if. Esport event security, in general, has been extremely poor over the years,” wrote Cristian Tamas, the director of esports programs for Twitch, which broadcasts live streams.
“I’ve been saying events need better security,” tweeted Seth Abner, a popular Call of Duty player. “Such a damn shame that now event co-ordinators will respond after a tragedy.”
The cancelled events were qualifying heats for EA’S Madden Classic tournament. The event, which was due to take place in October, had a prize pot worth $165,000.
The Florida event was held at a venue named Chicago Pizza, which was live-streaming the tournament on Amazon-owned platform Twitch.
Divorce filings from the parents of Mr Katz reportedly said he was twice admitted to psychiatric facilities and was prescribed antipsychotic and antidepressant medication.