WCNY Innovate to educate
Thursday, May 1, 2024
In just the past few years, e-gaming has exploded in popularity. 40% of the world’s population considers themselves gamers, high school courses in gaming are regularly offered, colleges including Syracuse University now offer 4 year degrees in e-sports management, and it’s even becoming a Division 1 sport, with $25-million in scholarships being offered to e-sports students.
Host Jody Manning welcomes two men on the forefront of the e-games revolution. Matt Guernsey and Rob O'Connor are co-founders of Elite Gaming. They talk about how in the school setting, gaming has become critical for student engagement and fulfillment.
Listen anytime 👉 https://bit.ly/3QsCM5H
Herkimer College unveils new Esports Center
Thursday, November 16, 2023
Herkimer College unveiled its new state-of-the-art Esports Center with a ribbon cutting on Thursday, Nov. 16 in front of a crowd of college and community leaders, faculty, staff, and students. The new facility rounds out a year of excitement on campus surrounding the gaming industry, with the launch of its new business degree program, Esports Management A.A.S. The College was also host to Extra Life National Game Day, a 24-hour charity gaming marathon, held earlier this month.
“We are extremely proud of this amazing facility,” Officer-in-Charge and Sr. Vice President of Administration and Finance, Nicholas F. Laino said. “It has surpassed all my expectations.” “And this is only the start,” Laino added. “We have plans for phase two of this project, expanding to accommodate many more gaming stations and a gallery for fans to watch the competitions.”
Located in the College’s Technology Center, the gaming hub features 13 new gaming machines, along with Nintendo Switch and SONY PlayStation 5 gaming consoles. The Center is also engineered with ADA-compliant Spectrum Esports Evolution desks and digital displays, along with other gamer-ready technology and support.
Pictured cutting the ribbon of the new Esports Center at Herkimer College are (from left): Herkimer College Board of Trustees Chairman Michael Stalteri, Herkimer County Legislator Peter Manno, Head Esports Coach Josh Lanza, Director of Information Technology Edris Noori, Office-in-Charge/Sr. VP for Administration and Finance Nicholas Laino, Provost Michael Oriolo, Herkimer County College Foundation Vice President Rebecca Smith, Assistant Professor Steve Boucher, Dean of Students/Director of Athletics Donald Dutcher, and Dean of Academic Affairs Bill McDonald.
Herkimer College esports team members show off their gaming skills at the opening of the Esports Center. From left: Jack Barkett (designated streamer/caster), Maddison Campagna (Mario Kart), Joe Hazzard (Smash Bros.) and William Hazzard (Smash Bros).
“I’m happy the esports team now has a facility to match their skills and championship record,” College Board of Trustees Chair Michael Stalteri, Sr. said.
Esports, involving professional or semi-professional competitive gaming, is a billion-dollar industry and has seen tremendous growth in recent years, both in terms of viewership and revenue. Recognizing the potential for job growth, Herkimer College launched its Esports Management degree program to position graduates for careers in events management, broadcasting, facilities, game day management and operations, public relations, marketing, and sales.
In 2020, the College solidified its commitment to the popular esports movement by launching the Generals esports athletic program. As a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association Esports (NJCAAE), Herkimer College stands at the forefront of over 600 teams and 1,500 student-athletes participating nationwide. The Generals esports team has achieved success, clinching a national championship in Call of Duty Gunfight in addition to securing three top-four finishes and a top-eight placement across various games over five seasons of competition.
Head Esports Coach Joshua Lanza speaks with the crowd about his experience with gaming and leading the esports athletic team at Herkimer College
SCSD’s First-Ever Esports Camp
FRIDAY, July 21, 2023
WARZONE 2.0 TOURNAMENT (RECAP)
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2022
HEATED DUOS TOURNAMENT COMES DOWN TO THE LAST FEW SECONDS TO DETERMINE THE WINNERS.
ELITE Gaming Arena located inside the MOST Museum hosted a ‘Warzone 2.0’ duos tournament, and it was FIRE! Ten duo teams from all over Central New York dropped into Al Mazrah for a four- hour tournament as they battle it out for their share of the $400 prize pool.
![(pictured: two teams of duos [Weapon X & Whiskey Tango Foxtrot] on the ELITE stage during the ‘Warzone’ tournament)](https://www.elitegaming.gg/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GTOP1104.jpg "GTOP1104")
Once the teams were warmed up on ELITE’s brand-new gaming PC’s and consoles, they dove right into tournament play. Each team had four hours to play as many matches as they could, but only their top four matches would count toward their overall score. The place they finished each match in was also rewarded by ‘point multipliers’, which boost- ed their scores. The higher they finished, the higher the score multiplier.
During the four hours team scores were regularly posted on the main stage to keep track of their standings and see what the other teams were up to. Teams were going up and down the leaderboard all night, which kept things exciting!
But, after four hours of grinding, it came down to the very last minute as Puma Gang jumped from fourth place to second place with their best match of the tournament! To say they were stocked is an understatement!
After the adrenaline subsided, Weapon X came out on top with an impressive first place score of 150.8. Next, Puma Gang jumped to second place with a score of 108.6, while Liquid D2 came in a very close third place with a 101.2 score.
ELITE Gaming would like to thank every- one that came out to compete and spectate during an exciting tournament! We also want to send a special shoutout to team Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, who made the trip all the way from Seneca Falls!
ELITE CUP SERIES (RETROGAMECON RECAP EDITION)
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2022 & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2022
Baldwinsville Red defeated Baldwinsville Black in a best-of-3 series Saturday afternoon to crown themselves champions of the first ever ELITE Cup Series Rocket League tournament, hosted by ELITE Gaming. This 2v2 styled double elimination tournament featured teams from Baldwinsville, West Genessee, and Phoenix school districts with players ranging from grades 7 to 12. The ELITE Cup Series is just a taste of what’s in store for gamers of all ages and skill levels when ELITE Gaming opens Syracuse’s very first esports arena and gaming academy, located in the MOST Museum.
Local schools took the stage to compete in Syracuse’s first ever live esports tournament hosted by CNY’s first esports arena and gaming academy, ELITE Gaming. What started off as wide eyes and smiles quickly turned into serious faces, intense teamwork, and extreme focus as the teams took the competition stage. West Genesee, Baldwinsville, and Phoenix all sent their Rocket League teams to compete in the double elimination tournament called the ELITE Cup Series. When the dust and confetti settled, Baldwinsville teams walked away with both first and second place trophies, while Phoenix fought hard to earn their third place trophy.
ELITE Gaming will help schools develop their esports programs by providing turn key solutions from start to finish. ELITE Gaming will also host leagues, boot camps, and tournaments for schools at their 12,000 sq. ft. esports arena opening later this year, inside the MOST Museum. ELITE Gaming also plans to hold adult courses on nights and weekends for those who would like to add to their resume, start a new career, or just keep up to date with the latest technology such as programming, graphic design, video production, and website development.
![[pictured left to right: Phoenix Firetakers, B’ville Black, B’ville Red
front: Rob O’Connor (Co-Founder) and Matt Guernsey (Co-Founder)]](https://www.elitegaming.gg/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/elitecup1.jpg "elitecup1")
“Not only are we organizing and hosting esports competitions for schools, we’re also bringing the entire gaming eco- system to Syracuse. Students will have the opportunity to attend classes at the ELITE Gaming arena to obtain stackable credentials and learn about the many exciting career paths in the $225B+ gaming industry. We’re raising digital citizens and ELITE’s mission is to provide an all-inclusive, safe environment where students can pursue a technology- based career while having fun at the same time"
— Rob O’Connor (Co-Founder of ELITE Gaming)
“Esports is here, and people are ready to get together and compete. Schools are recognizing esports as a legitimate sport with coaches, practices, and competitions. ELITE Gaming is providing an outlet for students to be part of something that they’re very passionate about”
— Matt Guernsey (Co-Founder of ELITE Gaming)