{"id":196008,"date":"2024-04-21T15:12:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T01:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=196008"},"modified":"2024-04-23T15:35:27","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T01:35:27","slug":"hawaii-first-mobile-esports-tournament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2024\/04\/21\/hawaii-first-mobile-esports-tournament\/","title":{"rendered":"<abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa hosts Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s first mobile esports tournament"},"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\"> 3<\/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_32868\"  width=\"620\" height=\"465\"  data-origwidth=\"620\" data-origheight=\"465\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oaShMHjauIc?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=\"Â鶹´«Ã½M\u0101noa hosts Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s first mobile esports tournament\"  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>Collegiate esports is trending toward more gaming experiences on mobile platforms. To keep universities in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and the Pacific at the forefront of the industry, the University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa hosted <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s first <em>Mobile Legends: Bang Bang<\/em> tournament.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/manoa-esports-mlbb-trophies-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"three trophies\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-196010\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/manoa-esports-mlbb-trophies-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/manoa-esports-mlbb-trophies-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/manoa-esports-mlbb-trophies.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Eight collegiate teams from <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa, University of Guam, Northern Marianas College and Brigham Young University&#8211;<span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> battled it out for the Aloha Collegiate Cup over the past week. The finals, featuring two teams from <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa and one team from Brigham Young University&#8211;<span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, were held at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s iLab on April 21. <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa&#8217;s Varsity X team won over <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa&#8217;s Varsity Y team in a marathon 4-3 final match.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&#8217;s the first Pan South-Pacific tournament in esports for Mobile Legends and mobile esports,&rdquo; said <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa esports Program Director Nyle Sky Kauweloa. &ldquo;That also marks an important pivot point for us across the state. I hope to make this into a broader league with other universities.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa esports students also produced the live tournament broadcast on YouTube. <em>Mobile Legends: Bang Bang<\/em> is one of the most successful and widely played mobile esports games globally.<\/p>\n<p>Traditionally thought of as games played on a personal computer, esports has shifted to be played on mobile phones, which has been critical to closing the gap around the accessibility and affordability of technologies for students. According to Statista, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/1222751\/mobile-esports-revenue\/#:~:text=The%20revenue%20of%20the%20mobile,billion%20U.S.%20dollars%20by%202030.\">revenue of the mobile esports market worldwide is expected to grow from $1.2 billion in 2022 to more than $5.4 billion in 2030<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_196100\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-196100\" style=\"width: 214px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/manoa-esports-mlbb-winning-team-214x300.jpg\" alt=\"people standing holding a trophy\" width=\"214\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-196100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/manoa-esports-mlbb-winning-team-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/manoa-esports-mlbb-winning-team-93x130.jpg 93w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/manoa-esports-mlbb-winning-team.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-196100\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kauweloa and the winning <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Varsity X team<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa esports program launched the first <em>Mobile Legends: Bang Bang<\/em> varsity team in North America in fall 2023, giving students who have been brought up in a mobile-first environment more opportunities to join the team. This Aloha Collegiate Cup tournament was one of the ways Kauweloa is expanding participation across <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and the Pacific.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&#8217;ve been successful, not only with our game, but with the community as well,&rdquo; said Jerome Carl Castillo, <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa <em>Mobile Legends: Bang Bang<\/em> team captain and tournament organizer. &ldquo;I think that&#8217;s what we&#8217;re trying to push because we&#8217;re not here to just play, we&#8217;re here to grow a community. We&#8217;re pretty proud of what we&#8217;ve achieved so far in these past few months.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Alison Chuang, a <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa <em>Mobile Legends: Bang Bang<\/em> Varsity X player, added, &ldquo;We&#8217;ve had some offline meetups for <em>Mobile Legends: Bang Bang<\/em> and the turnout was pretty great. It was really nice just getting to know people within the community that also play. If you are attending <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa or any of the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> campuses please come by and see if you would be interested in joining us.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In <em>Mobile Legends: Bang Bang<\/em>, players compete in teams of five to defeat the opposing team\u2019s base while controlling their own hero character. Each hero has unique abilities and characteristics, and players can choose from a wide variety of heroes to suit their play style. <em>Mobile Legends: Bang Bang<\/em> was the second and third most watched esports tournament in 2023 with a peak viewership count of more than five million.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/manoa-esports-mlbb-uh-team-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"five people on desks playing video games\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-196011\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/manoa-esports-mlbb-uh-team-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/manoa-esports-mlbb-uh-team-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/manoa-esports-mlbb-uh-team.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Collaborating with <abbr>UH<\/abbr>, Northern Marianas College and <abbr>BYU<\/abbr> in this esports tournament marks a significant stride in bridging campuses across the Pacific,&rdquo; said Ken San Nicolas, University of Guam esports manager. &ldquo;The greatest obstacle to a long-term goal is often showing commitment and putting components in action. We have now moved past that hurdle. I extend my gratitude to the leadership at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> and Sky Kauweloa for spearheading much of this endeavor. Beyond fostering connections within our esports programs, this initiative has prompted collaboration even among our <abbr title=\"Information Technology\">IT<\/abbr> departments, presenting avenues for future partnerships across various fronts.rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@AlohaCollegiateCup\">Visit the Aloha Collegiate Cup YouTube page to watch a replay of the tournament<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><abbr>UH<\/abbr> Esports receives funding from the <a href=\"https:\/\/acmsystem.hawaii.edu\/\">Academy for Creative Media System<\/a>. Visit the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Esports team\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UHEsport\">X<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/discord.com\/invite\/NUCPXMA\">Discord<\/a> pages. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/tag\/esports\/\">More stories on <abbr>UH<\/abbr>\u2019s esports program<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;By <em>Marc Arakaki<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/manoa-esports-mlbb-teams-ilab.jpg\" alt=\"people playing video games on desks next to trophies\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-196009\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/manoa-esports-mlbb-teams-ilab.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/manoa-esports-mlbb-teams-ilab-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/manoa-esports-mlbb-teams-ilab-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><em>Mobile Legends: Bang Bang <\/em> is one of the most successful and widely played mobile esports games globally.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,12],"tags":[1405,1466,9,56],"class_list":["post-196008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-video","tag-esports","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","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\/196008","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=196008"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196008\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":196199,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196008\/revisions\/196199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=196008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=196008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=196008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}