MORE WAYS THAN ONE KSAT EXPLAINS E-SPORTS. UP NEXT. >> IT IS A FIRST FOR SAN
ANTONIO, A HUGE, 70 MILLION
DOLLAR INVESTMENT IN ESPORTS.
YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD US TALK
ABOUT THE NEW TECH PORT CENTER
ARENA AT PORT SAN ANTONIO.
IT OPENED ITS STORES THIS MONTH
AND ALREADY HOSTING A SOLD-OUT
CONCERT AND ALSO ITS FIRST
ESPORTS TOURNAMENT. OTHER KINDS
OF EVENTS WILL BE HELD AT THE
ARENA, BUT E-SPORTS, THAT IS
THE MAIN GOAL. SO WHY WHAT IS
IT ABOUT THE SPORTS THAT IS
GROWING AND WHY IS IT SOMETHING
TO WATCH? WE TAKE YOU INSIDE
THE FIRST-EVER E-SPORTS
TOURNAMENT AT PORT SA AND THIS
WEEK’S KSAT EXPLAINS.
♪
>> THIS
♪ >> THIS >> ON MAY 6, THERE WERE A LOT
OF FIRSTS AT THE NEW TECH PORT
CENTER. AN ARENA. THIS EVENT
IS A REALLY BIG IT’S THE EVENT,
IF YOU WILL, FOR THE OVERWATCH
LEAGUE SEASON. NUMBER 5.
AND WE HAVE THE DALLAS FUEL
PLAYING THE ONE. THE ONLY
HOUSTON OUTLAWS. THE EVENT WAS
CALLED BATTLE FOR TEXAS.
IT WAS THE FIRST ESPORTS
TOURNAMENT HELD HERE AND THE
FIRST TIME A TOURNAMENT FOR
OVERWATCH LEAGUE SEASON 5 WAS
HELD IN PERSON IN NORTH AMERICA
SINCE THE PANDEMIC TO
EVERYTHING.
>> 2 TEAMS FROM THE OVERWATCH
LEAGUE, THE DALLAS FUEL AND THE
HOUSTON OUTLAWS BATTLED IT OUT
TO BE TOPS IN TEXAS IN THIS
GAME.
THAT’S WHAT ESPORTS IS ALL
ABOUT. COMPETITIVE GAMING, THAT
EXPORT THE OWNERSHIP GROUP HAD
REACHED OUT TO US BEFORE THEY
EVEN STARTED BUILDING HERE.
>> AND SUGGESTED TO US THAT
THEY WERE GOING TO BE CREATING
A MULTIPURPOSE ARENA THAT THEY
WANTED TO HOST MAJOR ESPORTS
EVENTS. AND AND THEY CONVINCED
US TO HELP THEM OPEN. THIS
ARENA A BIG REASON. THE ARENA
OF ESPORTS ITSELF IS GROWING
FROM HUGE PRIZE MONEY FOR
COMPETITIVE PLAYERS TO ESPORTS
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS.
EVEN INDUSTRIES ARE LOOKING TO
THE WORLD OF E-SPORTS TO
RECRUIT TOP TALENT IN TECH
FIELDS. IF YOU LOOK AT OUR
AEROSPACE CUSTOMERS, ROBOTICS,
AVERAGE SECURITY, EVEN THE
MILITARY MISSIONS.
>> THEY ARE ALL LOOKING AT THE
E-SPORTS AND GAMING AS A NEW
AREA TO FIND RECRUIT, RETAIN
TALENT A WAY TO OPTIMIZE THEIR
OPERATIONS AND VIRTUALIZED
THEIR TRAINING. YOU CAN
PROBABLY TELL BY NOW, BUT
ESPORTS IS MORE THAN A FEW
FRIENDS SITTING ON A COUCH GAME
TOGETHER.
>> IT IS ORGANIZED COMPETITION.
ALL KINDS OF GAMES ARE INCLUDED
SPORTS GAMES LIKE FIFA OR IN
TO K FIRST PERSON SHOOTER GAMES
LIKE CALL OF DUTY. WE’RE
FIGHTING GAMES LIKE SUPER SMASH
BROTHERS. CHECK IN OR MORTAL
KOMBAT. AS FOR OVERWATCH, THE
GAME THAT WAS PLAYED HERE OVER
WATCHES THE TEAM BASE HERO AND
BASICALLY YOU HAVE A TEAM OF
5 WARNING US ANOTHER 2 TO 5 AND
THEY’RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH
CERTAIN OBJECTIVES. HIS GAME
HAS A DEDICATED FAN BASE THAT’S
FOLLOWING THE GAME AND THE
PLAYERS, EVERY STEP OF THE WAY
JUST BEFORE THE GAME WAS EVEN
OUT FOR THE PUBLIC. A LOT OF
THE SPORTS GAMES ARE PLAYED IN
TEAMS AND THERE WERE DIFFERENT
LEAGUES. THOSE LEAKS RUN FOR
A PRE-DETERMINED AMOUNT OF TIME
LIKE A SEASON JUST LIKE THE
NFL OR NBA TEAMS OR PLAYERS ARE
ALSO RANKED BASED ON
PERFORMANCE. THEY COMPETE
THROUGHOUT THE SEASON.
EVENTUALLY THE TOP TEAMS OR
PLAYERS MAKE IT TO THE
PLAYOFFS. THEN THE TOP TO
COMPETE IN THE FINALS AND THE
WINNINGS CAN BE USED IN 2021.
THE PRIZE POOL FOR YOUR LONG
SEASON OF ONE OF THE MOST
POPULAR ESPORTS GAMES. DOTA
2 WAS 40 MILLION DOLLARS.
THE TOP TEAM TOOK HOME.
18 MILLION SPLIT AMONG ITS 5
PLAYERS. THERE’S A WHOLE
INDUSTRY AROUND THE SPORTS
THAT’S REALLY BEEN FOSTERED
AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT’S MORE
THAN JUST GAMING, BUT IT’S LIKE
THE BROADCASTERS BEHIND IT.
THE MARKETING BEHIND THE
GRAPHIC DESIGN LIED. SO IT’S
REALLY A WHOLE INDUSTRY.
AND IN TEXAS GAMING ACCOUNTS
FOR 25,000 JOBS WITH AN ANNUAL
ECONOMIC IMPACT IS ESTIMATED
TO BE 4.1 BILLION DOLLARS.
>> WHEN IT COMES TO ESPORTS,
THE TECH, PUERTO RICO IS
UNIQUE. IT’S NOT THE FIRST
ESPORTS ARENA IN TEXAS, BUT IT
IS THE FIRST TO BE BUILT
SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS. AND IT’S
EXPECTED TO BE A MAJOR
COMPETITOR TO THE ALREADY
ESTABLISHED THE SPORTS VENUES
AROUND THE STATE TYPICALLY LIKE
ARE TRADITIONALLY SPORTS THE
DALLAS, THE SPORTS ARENA BEING
CONVERTED CONVENTION SPACE.
THE HYBRID SERENA BEING
PREVIOUSLY THERE REALLY HASN’T
BEEN ANYTHING BUILT FROM THE
GROUND UP QUITE LIKE WHAT WE
HAVE HERE. THIS IS PROBABLY THE
MOST SOPHISTICATED ARENA THAT
I’VE SEEN BILLS.
>> SPECIFICALLY FOR ESPORTS,
THE FACT THAT THIS ARENA HAS
LIKE TONS OF CONCESSIONS.
>> MULTIPLE LEVELS FOR PEOPLE
TO SIT AND WATCH THE GAME.
I FEEL LIKE TO REALLY IMMERSE
US UP TO STILL BE A PART OF THE
MAN WHO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN
THIS VENUE.
>> I’LL BET YOU THAT WAS AT
NEAR CAPACITY FOR ITS FIRST
EVER E-SPORTS TOURNAMENTS.
SO WILL THIS 70 MILLION DOLLAR
INVESTMENT BE WORTH IT?
PROBABLY TOO SOON TO KNOW.
BUT IT’S SAFE TO SAY. SAN
ANTONIO HAS JOINED OTHER TEXAS
CITIES AND TRYING TO UP ITS
GAME DIFFERENT CITIES LIKE SAN
ANTONIO LIKE HOUSTON AND LIKE
AUSTIN AND OTHER CITIES AROUND
THE COUNTRY ARE THINKING ABOUT
THE SPORT.
>> YOU KNOW, BEING ABLE TO HAVE
FACILITIES THAT ALLOW KIDS TO
COMMON PRACTICE THE RIGHT KINDS
OF INTERNET, THE RIGHT KINDS OF
EQUIPMENT THAT IS NEEDED THE
RIGHT KINDS OF COACHES THAT
ARE NEEDED. AND THEN IN
ADDITION TO THAT, YOU KNOW,
REALLY CELEBRATING ESPORTS AND
NOT SAYING, HEY, MY KID
SHOULDN’T BE PLAYING, YOU KNOW,
THE DEO GAMES AT SILLY. IT’S
LIKE, NO, NO, THIS IS A SPORT
AND AN INDUSTRY THAT IS GROWING
LIKE MAD.
>> NOW TO CHECK OUT ANY EPISODE
OF KSAT EXPLAINS ON DEMAND.
JUST SCAN THIS QR CODE. THE
IDEA BEHIND EXPLAINS IS TO TAKE
ONE TOPIC LIKE E-SPORTS.
LOOK AT IT FROM SEVERAL
DIFFERENT ANGLES, GIVING YOU
MORE DEPTH AND PERSPECTIVE.