The popular saying is that it is all fun and games until someone is hurt. Will eSports follow that as well? For many, the smaller eSports tournaments were off their radar as a major security concern. Yes, security was present for the large events at major arenas, but what about a small tournament at a school or bar? That question was answered on Aug. 26 in Jacksonville, FL when a gunman (we refuse to use his name) opened fire on fellow contestants after he was eliminated from a Madden NFL 19 tournament.
The tournament, which was taking place at a bar in the Jacksonville Landing outdoor mall, was hosted by Electronic Arts (EA), the publisher of the Madden video game franchise. The event was the first of four regional qualifiers for the Madden Championship event which will run later this year in Las Vegas. The tournament featured both amateur and several professional players. Similar to other larger events, especially those that might be broadcast, people might try to gain publicity by jumping in front of the cameras. But violence was not necessarily considered by some events.
However, in 2015, two gamers were arrested after travelling from Iowa to a Pokemon tournament in Boston equipped with 12-gauge shotgun and an AR-15 assault rifle. Thus, it is not unheard of to think that there could be violence at eSports events, even minor tournaments.
The prospect for possible violence is increased when there is the potential for significant prize money or event publicity. For example, the Evolution Championship Series, an eSports event that focuses on fighting games, is held in Las Vegas and has drawn around 15,000 people for a tournament. In March of 2018, organizers called the FBI when someone wrote online: “mass shooting @EVO18 see you there.” The event went off without a hitch, but the tournament organizers used a significant amount of undercover law enforcement personnel. Next year the event will utilize metal detectors.
From a risk management perspective, it is important for large and small events to develop security plans, communicate with all stakeholders about security concerns, train employees and security, and show a security presence both inside and outside facilities so that everyone knows that security is being taken seriously. Jacksonville was a wake-up call and now it is up to facility and event executives to show that we are up for the challenge…because it will unfortunately happen again.
Gil Fried is a sports law professor at the University of New Haven and Editor in Chief of Sports Facilities and the Law.
