It was supposed to be a competition. It soon became a crime scene.
A gunman opened fire during a video game tournament in Jacksonville, Florida Sunday. Three people, including the shooter, are dead. Several others were injured.
Coloradans in the esports, or video gaming, community say they were saddened by the shooting, which they say has affected an often-close community connected through online streaming.
“Whatever we're doing, we’re streaming it,” explained local gamer Matthew Gilliam. “We’re showing it live to whoever wants to come in and they can chit-chat and talk to me or just watch the gameplay.”
Gilliam said some people will simply watch other gamers play while others want to engage in conversation. Players can interact during the game and even see each other on the screen. Though many have never met in-person, Gilliam describes it as a community.
“Just like with any community, if something horrible like this is going to occur, obviously you want to support in any way you can,” he said. “Whether it’s… being an open channel to those survivors or just sending your love any way you can.”
“No matter what game it is, we’re all family,” added Jamie Sherman, another local gamer who also raises money for charities through video game competitions. “We may not like each other [when] we get beat, but in the end where always friends, always be there for each other.”
“Gaming and esports itself is a rapidly growing niche,” said Jacob Dahlman, who runs a gaming center in Lakewood and also hosts gaming events. “I’m going to call it a niche right now because that’s what it is, and it’s getting a lot of attention and its growing really fast.”
Dahlman said, with that growth, organizers for these types of events are still learning the best way to host them. He said it can be complicated and security is often a significant consideration.
Dahlman added that as more is revealed about what happened in Jacksonville, tournaments will learn new and better ways to run these events.
“These things are hard to deal with, especially for people in Florida,” he said. “I really feel sorry for them, my heart goes out to them. But we need to make sure we don’t lose our passion because of this experience.”
