{"id":140501,"date":"2021-05-03T13:09:18","date_gmt":"2021-05-03T23:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=140501"},"modified":"2021-07-20T16:48:32","modified_gmt":"2021-07-21T02:48:32","slug":"overwatch-league-to-compete-at-uh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/05\/03\/overwatch-league-to-compete-at-uh\/","title":{"rendered":"Global elite Overwatch League<sup>&#x2122;<\/sup> teams to compete at <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr>"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_84733\"  width=\"676\" height=\"676\"  data-origwidth=\"676\" data-origheight=\"676\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-1Ri4s_P2h4?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"Global elite Overwatch League\u2122 teams to compete at UH\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/\">University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa<\/a> will host one of the fastest growing leagues in all of international esports. Elite teams from the <a href=\"https:\/\/overwatchleague.com\/\">Overwatch League<\/a> (<abbr>OWL<\/abbr>) will participate in a series of four tournaments at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa May&#8211;August 2021.<\/p>\n<p><abbr>OWL<\/abbr> is the world\u2019s first city-based esports league with 20 teams based in North America, Europe and Asia, and features the game Overwatch, a team-based action game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The competition in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> is an effort to bridge the gap to bring safe and online interregional play from its best teams. Last year, due to COVID-19, <abbr>OWL<\/abbr> teams were rarely able to play head-to-head matches between teams in different regions because of the online latency difference.<\/p>\n<p>The upcoming tournaments will each feature two teams from its West region playing from <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa, while teams from East region in Asia will connect virtually and play head-to-head in real-time. Matches will take place May 6&#8211;8, June 10&#8211;12, July 15&#8211;17 and August 19&#8211;21. They can be viewed live and on demand from the <a href=\"http:\/\/youtube.com\/overwatchleague\">Overwatch League YouTube channel<\/a>. The winning team for each of the four tournaments at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> will take home a $100,000 prize.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;For the university, there\u2019s unprecedented opportunity for students to get as close as they can with a publisher and organizer to see how the tournament runs and how a publisher organizes events because this is basically a new form of worldwide entertainment,&rdquo; said <strong>Nyle Sky Kauweloa<\/strong>, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/cis\/\">communication and information sciences<\/a> <abbr title=\"Doctor of Philosophy\">PhD<\/abbr> student and head of the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Esports Task Force in the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.socialsciences.hawaii.edu\/\">College of Social Sciences<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_140822\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-140822\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Overwatch_student_training-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"students train at computer\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-140822\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Overwatch_student_training-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Overwatch_student_training-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Overwatch_student_training.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-140822\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Â鶹´«Ã½M\u0101noa students train with Overwatch League employees as part of the top Esports event holding tournament events at the campus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;I\u2019m most excited about getting to work with professionals in a sense of how to run a large scale tournament where everyone in the world is watching,&rdquo; said <strong>Alexine Niro<\/strong>, a <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa <a href=\"https:\/\/me.hawaii.edu\/\">mechanical engineering<\/a> senior and Overwatch player on <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s esports team. &ldquo;Anothing thing is that my teammates and I get to meet the gaming professionals that you see around the world as well, so it\u2019s a surreal experience for <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> to be a part of.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Working with the University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> has helped solve one of our biggest challenges as we continue to safely compete in online competition,&rdquo; said Corey Smith, director of broadcast technology for the Overwatch League. &ldquo;Playing from <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> unlocks online play between our East and West regions, which makes our competition stronger and our matches more exciting for fans globally. We&#8217;re thrilled to be teaming up with <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and local students to help make it all happen.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Overwatch is just one of many games propelling the esports industry. A new <a href=\"https:\/\/newzoo.com\/insights\/trend-reports\/newzoos-global-esports-live-streaming-market-report-2021-free-version\/\">global esports and live-streaming market report<\/a> projects global esports revenue will reach $1.08 billion in 2021, up 14.5&#37; from 2020; and $833.6 million of those revenues will come from media rights and sponsorships. The global live streaming audience will also hit more than 728 million in 2021, growing 10&#37; from 2020.<\/p>\n<h2>Skyrocketing esports at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa<\/h2>\n<p>The <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa esports program currently fields teams for Overwatch, League of Legends, Rainbow Six, Super Smash Bros. and VALORANT. Many of these teams have garnered national recognition, including a top 25 ranking for the Overwatch team among 271 North American colleges and universities. Kauweloa said one of the main goals of <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Esports is to discover ways to connect students with the wider gaming and esports industry. One example is a recent partnership with Cloud9, one of the largest professional esports organizations in North America.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Related <em><abbr>UH<\/abbr> News<\/em> story<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2020\/11\/24\/esports-team-scores-national-recognition\/\"><abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Esports team scores national recognition, special invite<\/a>, November 24, 2020<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The esports community at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa was gaining interest and participation before the COVID-19 pandemic and has grown even more since. That\u2019s because many of the conversations and activities have moved online to <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa esports\u2019 Discord chat application channel, which has more than 300 members.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These have become our new arenas because of COVID-19,&rdquo; Kauweloa said. &ldquo;This is where we hold events, organize events and talk with students. Since COVID-19 began, we have a whole group of students that haven\u2019t even met each other in person and only met each other through Discord, and only know about <abbr>UH<\/abbr> through the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> esports Discord.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>While becoming a professional esports player is a lofty goal, students involved in the teams gain experience in management, events planning, web development and business management.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;What you would imagine in a traditional setting with sports, you would replicate that with esports,&rdquo; Kauweloa said. &ldquo;But I would say there are even more opportunities to get into the esports industry because so much of what is required out of esports is something that requires new media skills, data analytics, media production and web development.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Interested students are encouraged to follow the team\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UHEsport\">Twitter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uhesports\/\">Instagram<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/discord.com\/invite\/NUCPXMA\">Discord<\/a> pages, or email uh.esports@hawaii.edu.<\/p>\n<h2><abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa esports courses<\/h2>\n<p><abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/communications.manoa.hawaii.edu\/\">School of Communications<\/a> in the College of Social Sciences is launching a three-course esports series beginning this fall and students from all majors are invited to apply. Twenty selected students will enroll in a fall 2021 course on esports and society; and two spring 2022 courses on streaming and content creation, and marketing. A committee will select the group of 20 students. Interested students need to <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.gle\/MeQVpM9w7KGWkC886\">complete this form<\/a> by May 14, 2021 at 5 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>This program is an example of <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s goal of <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf#page=20\">Enhancing Student Success<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>) and <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf#page=25\">Excellence in Research: Advancing the Research and Creative Work Enterprise<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), two of four goals identified in the <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf\">2015&#8211;25 Â鶹´«Ã½<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), updated in December 2020.<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;By <em>Marc Arakaki<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Students will get an opportunity to manage some of the Overwatch League events at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,12],"tags":[301,661,1405,484,1480,1466,1467,741,1026,9,56],"class_list":["post-140501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","category-video","tag-college-of-social-sciences","tag-communications","tag-esports","tag-information-and-computer-science","tag-manoa-academic-innovation-engaged-learning","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-school-of-communications","tag-social-science","tag-uh-manoa","tag-video-2","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140501"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":140825,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140501\/revisions\/140825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}