The Esports industry was shaken as news broke that there had been a mass shooting at a gaming tournament in Florida last year on August 26th. The gunman, a professional Madden player, brought a handgun to a tournament being held at GLHF Game Bar in Jacksonville, Florida killing 2 and injuring 10 more. As we mark the 1 year anniversary of the tragedy, it’s worthy to stress the importance of event security at esports tournaments. But…
It’s Not Just Esports Security, All Events Need to Take This Seriously
The reality is those mass gatherings of all sizes, and across all verticals, are vulnerable to attacks like that in Jacksonville. Whether it’s the threat of a lone gunman or the looming fear of terrorism, event organizers must take all potential security threats seriously. After the Route 91 Harvest festival shooting and the bombing at Ariana Grande’s show in Manchester, UK, there has been increased pressure from the artists to evolve the security standards of the live event industry. The Hollywood Reporter reported that major touring musicians are starting to take out terrorism insurance, and in the wake of this shooting, prominent figures in the Esports industry are speaking out about the need to improve standards.
Gamers Demand Better Esports Security
CoD champion and XGames gold medalist Seth “Scump” Abner is one of the star athletes that shared his feelings on Twitter after the tragedy.
Joey Cuellar, the tournament director for the Evolution Championship Series, also wrote,
Cuellar’s words were echoed by pro Smash player Mazer NAKAT.
The Esports sector is the fastest growing sport in the world, charting massive year-on-year growth that shows no signs of slowing in the next decade. But with this rapid growth comes increased logistical challenges and greater responsibility to the fans, talent and staff that power the industry. Much like comic and fan conventions have been forced to tackle problems relating to the culture of prop weaponry being brought to the events, Esports event organizers will now need to respond to the reality that increased security and screening measures are essential to their operation. The good news is that challenges like these have been faced by conventional sporting events, music festivals and fan conventions before. Problems relating to the smuggling of contraband, fraudulent tickets, and porous event borders have been identified time and time again by all kinds of events, and the risk these pose can be mitigated with the right attitude, advice and technology.
Proper Event Access Control has These Main Benefits
- Allows event security to do what they’re best at, observing people for suspicious behavior and preventing dangerous goods from being brought in
- Flag suspicious behavior and allow you to proactively confront potential security issues
- Control unlimited zones in a single system (GA, VIP, Toll Booths, Production, and more)
- A fail-safe system proven to work in all climates and environments
It is important that the Esports event organizers recognize just how pressing this issue is, and that this tragedy can be a much-needed agent of change for an industry entering a period of intense growth and continued disruption. There are many ways Intellitix solutions can help gaming tournaments, not only with improving esports security, but also by elevating the overall guest experience.
