HV Gamer Con 2020 Draws Thousands Virtually to Second Annual Esports Event

Organizers of HV Gamer Con 2020 executed two weekends of virtual events after postponing their annual in-person event and expo back in April due to COVID-19.

The festivities kicked off on Saturday, September 12 and Sunday, September 13 with virtual tournaments and livestreamed panel discussions. HV Gamer Con partner Gaming Insomniacs hosted Fortnite and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournaments, drawing more than 375 participants.

In between competitions, the Albany Capital Center hosted three virtual panel discussions that were broadcast on the livestream of the public tournaments as well as the Albany Capital Center’s social media platforms. The Boom of Gaming Studios in the Capital Region, Esports in High School, College and the Real World, and The Health and Wellness of a Gamer were the topics covered.

The finale of HV Gamer Con 2020 took place this past weekend when event partner ECAC hosted its National Championship tournaments virtually on Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18. Thousands of viewers tuned in to the competition, powered by LeagueSpot, streamed live on the ECAC Esports Twitch channels where 24 schools -- including the Elite 8 in Overwatch, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate -- brought in 96 competitors virtually to faceoff.

The winning teams included RPI in Overwatch, Syracuse University in Rocket League, and Farmingdale State College in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. MVPs were named for each title including Nikko “Zhobo” Simons of RPI in Overwatch, Mason “Masonstar1” Freer of Syracuse University in Rocket League, and Cameron “Shorleapums“ Olsen of Farmingdale State College in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

HV Gamer Con 2021 plans to return to an in-person format at the Albany Capital Center on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11. Ticket information will be announced at a later date.

About HV Gamer Con:

HV Gamer Con is a partnership that includes Albany Capital Center (ACC), Center for Economic Growth (CEG), Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and Collegiate Sports Management Group. The event is supported through a grant from the Regional Economic Development Councils and I Love NY.