This past weekend, UCI Esports teamed up with our partner NASEF to booth at DreamHack Anaheim, providing information about high school and collegiate esports programs to thousands of attendees during the three-day event held at the Anaheim Convention Center.
For those unaware, DreamHack is a series of festivals—the largest of their kind, in fact—that celebrate digital culture. They’re held all over the world, from Dallas to Rotterdam, and run for three consecutive days.
Though every DreamHack is different, tournaments remain the events’ central draws, with more than half a million dollars in prize money up for grabs at Anaheim alone. This year’s most lucrative titles? Fortnite and CS:GO, with prize pools of $250,000 and $100,000, respectively.
While Fortnite and CS:GO took center stage this DreamHack, smaller tournaments abounded across the convention center, with NASEF’s NHL ‘20 finals no small force among them. As the culminating match in a month-long series held in partnership with the Anaheim Ducks, LA Kings, Vegas Golden Knights, and Florida Panthers, the finals offered more than $50,000 in grants, scholarships, and prizes to participating teams, with $2,000 going to each member of the team finishing first overall.
As might be expected, the tournament drew spectators from all corners of the convention center, who watched the games unfold with growing excitement. Between plays, they visited nearby exhibitions, including UCI Esports’ Health in Gaming booth, where they learned about the initiatives we’re undertaking to improve mental, physical, and social health in esports.
Judging from the amazing response we received over the weekend from parents, students, and the esports community at large, it’s safe to say that our first visit to DreamHack was a success. Thank you to everyone who helped make things possible—and here’s to another great showing next year.
