(Chicago, IL and Hamburg, Germany) I Play Games! (IPG) is hosting an international Esports Event at the Reeperbahn Festival of Hamburg Germany and DePaul University at both locations on September 24th and 25th! This is an international Esports Tournament hosted in collaboration with I Play Games! and Sister Cities of Chicago International. Both events will host simultaneous FIFA21 tournaments that will be broadcasted live in Chicago and Hamburg, Germany.

Chicago Location: 11:00 a.m. CST, DePaul University, 1 E Jackson St. ,Chicago, IL
How to watch: Twitch.tv/ipg_Esports. Europe Location: 6:00:p.m. GMT, Neuer Pferdemarkt 1,, 20359 Hamburg Festival Tel.: +49-40-431 79 59-17.

Approached by the Sister Cities of Chicago International on how to bring more Esports opportunities to Germany, Kevin Fair CEO of I Play Games! set forth a plan that will meet the needs of players in both countries for them to have a great time. Not letting the metric system or difference in appliances and voltage stop him from creating an international Esports tournament, Fair designed both events. IPG is proud to be the backbone of the first Esports tournament to ever be hosted at the Reeperbahn Festival.

Founded in 2009 by Kevin Fair, at the age of 23, I Play Games is a nationwide leader in event planning, providing gaming rooms, and gaming-related entertainment. This company offers a wide range of products and services designed to enhance guests’ gaming experience .. Fair is a native Chicagoan and entrepreneur who believes in helping his community. Pre-covid, Fair hosted a multitude of in-person Esports tournaments like Rocket League.Street Fighter, Super Smash Brothers, Overwatch, and much more. Currently, he hosts these tournaments virtually. Recently, he has also hosted a variety of Esports and Gaming Events with the Chicago Urban League. He’s been featured in major media including the Chicago Tribune and Chicago SunTimes.

The Reeperbahn Festival is based in Hamburg, Germany and filled with a wide range of music, visual art, and virtual reality, films, and literature. Reeperbahn Festival has become one of the most important meeting places for the world of music and demonstrates how an exuberant music program can be combined with music industry interests and social initiatives since its debut in 2006. DePaul University: In accordance with current regulations in Illinois, all attendees need to wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.

Reeperbahn Festival: In accordance with the current regulations in Hamburg, this means that access to the festival can only be granted to those people who are either fully vaccinated, tested, or recovered.

By: Jeremy Blye

After a little bit of a hiatus from the blogs, I am glad to be able to talk about what has happened in the past two weeks. Honestly, it has been a packed couple of weeks. This has allowed me to share a decent amount of information with updates to the organization. Let’s get started.

DeSmash Tourneys: Almost every week, the Super Smash Bros. Club has been holding Smash tournaments that bring around a huge crowd. So far they have been on Saturdays and they start at around 1PM usually. I have to say it has been quite amazing seeing the types of turnouts we have for these types of events. Before the tournament today, there was about 38 people signed up. That number could very much vary and be bigger now that it is the day of the tournament.

Tryouts: Like I said in the previous post, we had virtually all of our tryouts over the majority of the gaming titles we offer. Most of the teams have finally solidified their rosters and many of them will be competing within many different leagues. The most important of those leagues comes down to EGF and the Big East section. Hopefully our teams will have solid seasons this fall and will bring home some dubs for DePaul. After seeing the amount of interest in Esports this year, I am interested to see how many people we actually have on our rosters. I know this organization is growing rapidly, and it will be amazing to see the sheer number of competitive players going into this school year. Not only that, the graphics that are being put together for some of our announcements are awesome! Check out this roster announcement from Matt Beach:

This Week in DePaul: I am glad to announce that Kevin and I will be starting this show up again. We have a few things we need to iron out as far as production goes, but we will be starting all of that up again. That also means there is possibly some Jerm on the Streets in the works for these episodes. You will just have to stay tuned in the future to see what we have to offer for you all.

In Person Events: If you did not know, we had a gaming night with the Student Center. It had an amazing turnout. I believe we had over 200 people show up for it. Unfortunately, I was on duty as an RA so I could not attend, but I heard amazing things about the event. Our friends Matt and Kevin were taking the lead on this event and it worked extremely well.

Every little event we are holding this year only shows to me the possibilities that this year holds. Like I have said before, Esports has so much potential to become something greater, and I am able to see that even though the school year has just started. I am excited to see what else we are able to accomplish and what communities we are able to facilitate. Only time will be able to tell what can happen, and I am ready for the ride!

By Jeremy Blye:

I just wanted to wish everyone the best of luck if they are trying out for any of our teams this week. I understand that for many the start of the school year is an extremely chaotic point in the year, and I hope a community such as Esports can help facilitate a calm environment for those to feel just at home. I am so grateful that DePaul has such resources to allow such a community to exist especially in a day and age where Esports is still becoming popularized and accepted nationally and globally. So let’s take a look at the titles we will be providing opportunities for all students:

Rainbow Six Siege – in R6, players will compete in 5v5 situations which involve intense teamwork and strategical routes. Personally, I do not enjoy this game that much, but I understand the appeal for those who are active within the community.

Counter Strike: Global Offensive – in CSGO, players will compete over a variety of maps in a 5v5 manner in which teams must compete to either plant or defuse an explosive. One of my personal favorites from throughout the years, yet I am not too good at it.

Rocket League – car soccer. Nothing more, nothing less. Just kidding, it’s a game that takes teams of 3 against each other to see who has the superior mechanical and mental skill.

Super Smash Bros. – these are 1v1 situations in which the characters fight one another to try and take the crown for the game. I’m awful at this game, but one of our players Matt Beach is pretty good with both MegaMan and Kazuya.

VALORANT – As a newer shooter, VALORANT has been taking the public over with its new twist on the formula CSGO established throughout the years. Basically a 5v5 game where the characters have special abilities.

League of Legends – I have never understood this game. There is way too much going on in MOBA’s for me to figure out what to do. Our League players are quite phenomenal with the game and it is mind boggling watching them do their thing.

COD – one of the most classic shooters that has ever existed. It has been around for close to 20 years now. It is amazing to see that a formula so simple in gaming is still so prevalent within Esports.

Overwatch – one of the most unique shooters that takes a 6v6 approach and tries to twist it by allowing characters to have never before seen abilities.

Over this weekend (today and tomorrow), I hope every single person gets the chance to find their place within our community. Whether it is through a competitive form or a casual one, I hope those who are interested in being a part can have a piece. So I do not hold you all too much longer, I wish everyone the best of luck. Unfortunately I am unable to show up for any of the tryouts due to other commitments, but I am excited to see everyone throughout the year!