Tech Square Hosts Eports Fireside Chat for Local Communities
On a late Friday afternoon in mid-July, Tech Square ATL (TSQATL) Social Club members and other local communities gathered at The Clubhouse for an esports-themed Fireside Chat, hosted by AXR Edge.
Fueled by donated Red Bull energy drinks and filled with a feast from Chick-fil-A, attendees of all ages, backgrounds, and interests mixed, mingled, and played a variety of different available video games around the 9,000 square foot facility. Faces new and old networked with industry thought leaders, professional esports teams, content creators, and brands leveraging influencer marketing.
Once the happy hour concluded, the following panelists joined the stage:
Todd Harris, Ghost Gaming
Mike Maknojia, SoaR Gaming
Logan Ewing, Atlanta Premier Gaming
Moderated by Allie Young (AXR Edge), questions included:
How did you get into gaming?
What was your driving force to get into this industry?
What unexpected pitfalls did you encounter in your journey?
What’s the dream and what does winning look like for your organization?
What do you think it takes to go pro?
For those starting out, what would advice would you give?
Each panelist had a different perspective and shared unique ways to break into the industry. They offered sage advice around using networking events to meet new people, learning a new skill by taking a class, or starting a self-taught journey utilizing tools like YouTube.
They also discussed why Atlanta is so special to the esports industry. With major industries such as film, government, education, and sports so prominent, they have seen firsthand the influence of the esports community in Atlanta.
Piggybacking off of that, we asked attendees what they loved most about the Atlanta esports scene:
And not surprisingly, when asking the audience if they’d rather play sports, play games, or watch others game, over 76 percent preferred to play games.
The evening concluded with more networking, gaming, eating, and most importantly, exchanges of contact information and new connections being made. To get a glimpse of everything that happened, watch this YouTube video:
Would you rather play sports, play games, or watch others game? Let us know in the comments below.