Local esports events to keep an eye on

Gaming, an indispensable part of the lives of many, is chosen by countless young adults around the globe as their primary source of a dopamine rush. To fuel that fire, we have competitive esports gaming, a world abuzz with adrenaline and passion. Something about the word 'competitive' always sparks a drive in people to outdo, be it a staring contest or a major sporting event. Sports are not the only medium to pitch one player against another, the virtual gaming world has long made large-scale competition its home. Since Atari's first-ever major esports tournament back in 1978, a plethora of games has ridden the wave of esports, including classics like Doom and Quake to household names like Counter-Strike and Valorant.

Much like the outside world, Bangladesh equally shares a love for gaming and competition. Since the early 2000s, Counter-Strike 1.6 and DOTA have been taking centre stage in Bangladesh as the lone titles in any e-sporting events, but over the last decade, that catalogue has appended titles like FIFA, Rainbow Six Siege, and Call of Duty. But surprisingly, what has gained an unprecedented level of traction is the mobile gaming scenario. Thanks to the advent of powerful handheld devices, competitive mobile gaming is now a fully-fleshed branch of esports. The last few years have seen the titanic rise of games like PUBG, Free Fire and Call of Duty Mobile. 

With such an unprecedented rise in gaming and player bases growing almost exponentially, skill ceilings for each game are at an all-time high, which only means one thing: more competition. Thanks to this rising phenomenon, esports is gradually being taken more seriously. Each event boasts a higher prize pool than the last, making this the perfect time to utilise those lightning-speed reaction times and jump in on the action yourself, whether it be desktop or mobile. If you want to dab your feet into the wild world of competitive gaming, here are some upcoming local esports events to keep a close eye on.

BESL Episode V by Discovery One

Prize pool: BDT 6 lac

Games: VALORANT, COD Mobile 

Discovery One recently made headlines by hosting some of the biggest esports LAN events in Bangladesh, among which are FIFA Royale and the D1 Cup boasting a more-than-generous prize pool of BDT 15 lacs, with an astonishing 9 lacs reserved for the champion. Discovery One has now returned with yet another iteration of their online competition series, Bangladesh Esports League Episode V, an event that has featured titles like CSGO and Mobile Legends. Last month's Episode IV garnered over 1.5 million views across all platforms. Keep your eyes glued to their Facebook page for BESL's LAN event counterpart D1 Cup Season 2 announcement, which has an even higher prize pool. This time around, BESL is featuring Valorant and COD Mobile. The register closed on June 14. For future events, keep an eye on their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/discoveryonebd/
 

IGE Community Series Valorant 2023

Prize pool: BDT 50,000

Games: VALORANT 

InGame Esports is a company that is trying to bring esports gaming to the forefront not only in Bangladesh but in the whole South-Asian subcontinent as a whole, with very frequent international tournaments being hosted online. Their tournaments have featured all the fan favourites starting from PUBG to DOTA 2. This time around, it's on LAN and it's more joy for the fans of Valorant, with more and more events to compete in. With 119 registered teams competing for a prize pool of BDT 50,000, the tournament will take place from June 17 to 24. Keep an eye on their website for future events: https://ingame.gg/events

SMART BANGLADESH GAMING FAIR 2023

Prize pool: BDT 49,000

Games: FIFA, VALORANT 

For the people assuming only gamers in Dhaka can band together and compete, you have been proved wrong. The three-day offline event 'SMART Bangladesh Gaming Fair' gave gamers of Chattogram the chance to show off their skills in Valorant and FIFA. Moreover, it doubled as a PC peripherals showcase event, which is all the more pleasant for tech lovers and gamers alike. The prize pool for FIFA was BDT 9000 and for Valorant, it was BDT 40,000. The Gaming Fair took place at the GEC Convention Center in Chattogram from June 14 to 16. For future gaming tournaments in Chattogram, keep an eye on: www.facebook.com/TeamECO.bd
 

Inter-University LAN Tournament by Mobile Legends Bangladesh

Prize pool: BDT 4 lac

Games: Mobile Legends 

Mobile Legends Bangladesh, the leading mobile esports organiser in Bangladesh, is set to host major esports events in the coming months. One of the events, the Inter-University LAN tournament, will be an offline tournament featuring the Mobile Legends (MLBB). As many people worldwide are choosing esports gaming as their career path, Mobile Legends Bangladesh hopes that tournaments like this will inspire university students to give serious thought to choosing esports gaming as their future career. The tournament has a big prize pool including in-game rewards worth BDT 4 lac and they're planning to include more than 20 universities through their LAN tournament. The tournament will be open to all university students in Bangladesh and the registration will be opening soon on their official page. Link to the official group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/235030881883343/

Esports Tournament at Dhaka Summer Con

Prize pool: BDT 50,000

Games: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB)

Similar to the esports segment of the Anime Convention, Dhaka Summer Convention also has a segment for the esports players of Bangladesh. There will be squad vs squad and solo 1v1 games to compete against each other for mobile games like Mobile Legends, with a lucrative amount of prize pool. In the Anime Convention, the Champion of the Mobile Legends tournament was Red Viperz Gaming who recently became the first Bangladeshi team to get the chance to play in the World Esports Championship Regional Qualifier. The success of our teams is inspiring the esports organisers to bring more tournaments and opportunities for our community players. Keep an eye on their event page for team registration and updates. Link to their event page: https://www.facebook.com/dhakasummercon

GPxAOV Community Cup 2023

Prize pool: BDT 3 lac

Games: Arena of Valor (AOV)

GPxAOV is back with its second season of the highly anticipated Arena of Valor tournament. Season 1, which happened last year,  was a great success with hundreds of participants from around the country competing for the grand prize. With the success of the first season, fans of the game can't wait to see what Season 2 has in store. GPxAOV is known for its well-organised tournaments and has built a reputation as one of the best organisers in the Arena of Valor community. The tournament is open to players regardless of their gaming experience. This diversity adds to the excitement of the tournament as players from different districts and different playstyles go head-to-head. Season 2 promises to be even bigger and better than the first. There are more prizes up for grabs, including cash prizes, and new rules have been put in place to ensure a level playing field for all participants. GPxAOV has also made sure to address any issues that came up during Season 1, making the second season even smoother and more enjoyable.