Shooting at Videogame Event Puts Focus on Security

By Sarah E. Needleman

The heads of professional videogame teams said they would evaluate security procedures after a mass shooting at a competition in Jacksonville, Fla., on Sunday, as the industry undergoes rapid growth and attempts to manage highly paid players who are also social-media stars.

In esports, players compete at videogames individually or on squads, typically for cash prizes. Matches are commonly broadcast live online, from venues such as small bars for amateur events to big arenas like New York's Barclays Center for professional competitions.

Esports executive Ben Spoont said he now plans to check with event organizers about their security before sending his approximately 45 players to any competitions held at small venues.

"To actually feel a need to make sure someone doesn't have a weapon, that's not been a primary concern in the past," said Mr. Spoont, who heads up the esports organization Misfits Gaming, and the Florida Mayhem, a team that competes in Activision Blizzard Inc.'s Overwatch League. He also plans to start having bag checks and metal detectors at tournaments and fan events that his own organization hosts. "This was a wake-up call, " he said.

On Sunday, at a bar in Jacksonville dedicated to competitive and casual videogaming, an attacker opened fire with a handgun, killing two and himself as well as injuring nine, local authorities said. Players of varying skills were competing in the popular videogame series "Madden NFL" to qualify for a spot in a larger event in Las Vegas with a prize pool of $165,000. The Journal couldn't determine what, if any, security measures were in place.

By contrast, matches for professional gamers typically take place in studios, stadiums or other locations where spectators purchase tickets and security staff and metal detectors are the norm. Professionals who play on teams can command annual salaries greater than $100,000.

"It's time esports events (large and small) double down on security for everyone in general and players specifically," Jason Lake, chief executive of the professional esports team Complexity Gaming, wrote on Twitter. One of the team's players, Drini Gjoka, was participating in the videogame competition in Jacksonville and escaped after one of his thumbs was struck by a bullet.

ESL, an organizer of several hundred esports competitions of varying sizes every year world-wide, is rethinking its approach to event safety. "Out of this tragedy we are reviewing security policies and how these are implemented," a spokesman for ESL said by email. "We will take action where necessary to protect our community, partners and everyone associated."

The pro esports organization Splyce is planning a company-wide meeting this week on "how we can both make sure people are ok after this awful event and what we can do going forward to be proactive," said its chief executive Marty Strenczewilk in a tweet. In an email, Mr. Strenczewilk said it will take time to come up with a plan.

Finals matches for pro leagues attract hundreds of millions of online viewers and fans pack stadiums such as New York's Barclays Center and Los Angeles' Staples Center. Major brands such as T-Mobile Inc. and Coca-Cola Co. sponsor teams and events, and top players have massive online followings.

This year, 222 million spectators world-wide are expected to watch esports events at least once a month online or in person, more than double the number from 2012, according to Newzoo BV. Revenue from corporate sponsorships, media rights, ticket sales and other sources is on track to top $1 billion by 2019, according to the videogame industry tracker.

Some teams have already beefed up safety efforts for players. The Dallas Fuel, also part of the Overwatch League, hired three police officers to keep tabs on its nine players and three coaches last month during a fan-appreciation event at a Dallas mall.

"The smaller events absolutely need much more security," said Mike Rufail, chief executive of the Dallas Fuel as well as the esports organization Team Envyus. "The smaller amateur, semipro events are really susceptible to what happened in Jacksonville."

But for most players, competitions are in small bars, far away from arenas. Waypoint Cafe in New York, where mostly high-school and college students compete in esports matches, has security cameras but nothing else. The cafe hosts its own tournaments and players sometimes use its 30 computers to participate in qualifiers for professional tournaments.

Luigino Gigante, who opened up Waypoint last September, said the cafe is small -- 1,750 square feet -- and doesn't have room for a metal detector. But since his customers usually behave well, he said he wouldn't add one even if he had the space. "We don't have a need for it, " Mr. Gigante said.

Write to Sarah E. Needleman at sarah.needleman@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 27, 2018 16:28 ET (20:28 GMT)

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