Harrisburg University hosts HUE Invitational, one of largest esports tournaments in U.S.

Neil Strebig
York Daily Record

This weekend thousands of gamers will be in Harrisburg — albeit virtually, but in attendance nonetheless. 

Harrisburg University's third annual HUE Invitational will bring 64 collegiate esports programs into the state capital this weekend. As with past tournaments, teams will compete in League of Legends and Overwatch, but this year's tournament won't be showcased at the Whitaker Science Center. Instead, it will be streamed via Twitch. 

"To put on the largest invitational competition [in North America] really puts Harrisburg University and the City of Harrisburg on the map," said Harrisburg University president Eric Darr.

Outside of gamers and streamers, esports largely remains a subtle buzz word at best, but Harrisburg University is quickly making that murmur into a full-fledged hype train

The University's esports team, the Harrisburg Storm founded in 2017, is a two-time defending Overwatch champion. Their recent championship run and rapid growth has been immortalized in the sports documentary, "A Rising Storm." The film was directed by Harrisburg native Adrian Selkowitz and made its worldwide debut on Sept. 17 via PAX.  

"When anybody talks about esports at the college level, Harrisburg U. is in that conversation," Darr said. 

Harrisburg Storm won its first Overwatch national championship in 2018. The trophy was shown on display inside the Storm's practice facilities at the Whitaker Science Center on August, 23, 2019.

Quarantine life is a gaming life 

To many outside the esports world, the industry still seems foreign. It's a challenge Darr and Nerd St. Gamers VP Pete Powell are well aware of, and one that presents a unique set of circumstances amid coronavirus concerns. 

Going virtual means the enchantment factor that comes from a live event is absent this year, something Darr and Powell both agree is a catalyst for esports growth. Darr said it's a component they're going to miss this year, but the silver lining is the growth and interest esports has seen amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"You have more people now playing video games because everyone is home," Powell said. "Just the exposure to video games everyone is getting...I think we’re going to look back at this time and say the pandemic was a turning point in terms of accelerating the industry." 

Powell and his team at Nerd St. Gamers, a Philly-based esports company, have helped with production behind the scenes since the first HUE Invitational in 2018. Nerd St. provides esports infrastructure and education

His team helps ensure the competition's Twitch stream is live and coordinates with the tournament's Casters (broadcasters) to help provide the same level of entertainment for a remote audience, as fans would have inside the Whitaker Center. 

Unlike other pro and collegiate sports that were unable to play during the pandemic, esports teams have played through thanks to the logistics of gaming. Nerd St. Gamers' YouTube and Twitch streaming audiences have grown by more than 500 percent.

It's been an epiphany for larger networks now, Powell said. Throughout the pandemic, the company has been able to provide streaming services for esports competitions, something that caught the eye of larger networks such as ESPN and NBC Sports, he said.

"A company we couldn't get on the phone if we tried a year ago is now calling us to produce their events because they need content," Powell said. "There is no live sports, so they need to fill their air time with something other than corn hole tournaments." 

It's a mild phenomenon that may help continue launching esports. Such exposure has seen the HUE Invitational field double in size, according to Darr. 

"There’s lot more interest, lot more teams out there," Darr said. "[I] Think a lot of teams and universities are hungry for competition."

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Creating code for the future 

Yet, the footprint of the HUE Invitational — and consequently Harrisburg Storm and Nerd St. Gamers — goes beyond competition and entertainment. 

The goal of both identities is stability. 

As esports continues to find itself in headlines as multi-billion dollar industry and investments pour in, the demand for a foundation becomes increasingly present. 

"We see schools maybe through luck — they have a good year then they completely disappear," Darr said. "And that’s not good for the college program or collegiate esports scene."

What Darr is referring to is the churn within esports, specifically at the professional level where burnout is commonplace

Harrisburg's success is largely rooted in its hiring of esports director Chad Smeltz and former professional players Alex "Xpecial" Chu and Joe "Joemeister" Gramano as the Storm's League of Legends and Overwatch coaches, respectively.

"Like anything you had to find the right people," Darr said. "How do you cast out into the world to find a director of esports? Back then who was looking for a director of esports." 

Today, Darr and members of the Storm team help host seasonal workshops for interested high schools. The goal is to provide school districts with the resources to not just launch an esports program, but properly sustain it

"We’d love Pennsylvania to continue to be seen as a hub for esports. And a big part of that is what happens at high schools," Darr said. "In the world we live in today, esports presents one more opportunity." 

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In addition, the university is offering an undergraduate degree in esports management. The atypical bachelor's program is geared toward both traditional students and former professional players. 

"The industry needs all types of people," Darr said. "And the program is aimed towards helping build that ecosystem." 

Companies such as Nerd St. Gamers help provide an additional bridge for programs such as Harrisburg.

The company provides its workshops and resources for interested parties to better understand the world of esports, beyond the competition. Its national LocalHost spots serve as an outreach point to introduce students and parents at the broadcasting, marketing and vocational avenues within esports. 

An artist rendering inside 'The Block.' The Block is a multi-faceted esports hub from Nerd. St. Gamers that will feature a broadcast studio, training rooms, retail space and both scholastic and competitive workshop spaces. The Block will be located at 401 N. Broad St. in the former Terminal Commerce Building in downtown Philadelphia.

"Since we’re an infrastructure company we’re not just concerned with taking gamers to become pro. As esports sort of evolves, we’re going to see that similar to traditional sports, as good as you and I can be in Overwatch there’s a really slim chance we’ll get signed by an Overwatch franchise," Powell said. 

That notion has opened the door for Nerd Street's "The Block." The first-ever esports complex within the state. The 40,000-square-foot facility will be anchored in downtown Philadelphia and host a variety of areas where gamers and students can learn about esports from both competitive and scholastic angles. 

"[The mission is] to make sure groundwork is laid for all opportunities in this industry," Powell said. "We build out an infrastructure it is going to go hand-in-hand with a Harrisburg University or any other university who wants to build out their program."

As such foundations are built, both Powell and Darr hope to see Pennsylvania become a catalyst for esports on the East Coast. 

"When it comes to esports anybody’s success is everybody’s success," Darr said. 

How to watch

The Hue Invitational begins. at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19. Finals will be played on Saturday, Sept. 12. Visit the tournament site for a complete schedule, the Twitch streams can be found below: 

Neil Strebig is a journalist for the York Daily Record and curator for the York on the Move newsletter. He can be reached at nstrebig@ydr.com, 717-825-6582 or via Twitter @neilStrebig

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