The Commonwealth Esports Championships will feature Dota 2, eFootball, and Rocket League in a two-day exhibition tournament.
Commonwealth Sport, the organization behind the Commonwealth Games, today announced the trio of games that will make up the Commonwealth Esports Championships. First revealed on February 9th, the Commonwealth Esports Championships series of tournaments that will be held as part of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The games included are Dota 2, eFootball, and Rocket League. Each title will feature a Women’s Category and an Open Category to compete in. Each game has a huge international following and dedicated player base, making them perfect choices for the Commonwealth Esports Championships.
What are the games at the Commonwealth Esports Championships?
Dota 2 is a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game where two teams of five compete to destroy each other’s base. The field remains the same each game. However, the strategy comes from its huge variety in player-controlled characters, or Heroes. Overall, Dota 2 has 122 Heroes, each with half a dozen unique abilities, and can be geared up with over 200 individual items.
eFootball is developer Konami’s competitor to the massively popular FIFA game franchise. It does exactly what it says on the tin, delivering an esports-ready variety of football in digital form. Some may be more familiar with eFootball from its former name, Pro Evolution Soccer, or PES.
Rocket League is a game where teams of radio-controlled cars compete in a version of football. But it goes beyond just football with cars. The game is a delicate balance of using boost and aerial acrobatics to score incredible goals. It is primarily played 3v3 at the competitive level.
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Why is esports at the Commonwealth Games?
In their press release, Commonwealth Sport explained the importance of esports in the Commonwealth Games. They extolled the positive effects the sector has on millions of young people. Katie Sadleir, CEO of the Commonwealth Games Foundation (CGF), elaborated: “The Commonwealth has a combined population of more than 2.4 billion, with over 60% of them under the age of 30. This is a vital group for the Commonwealth Sport Movement to engage with, and esports can be an important part of this work due to its huge popularity and reach with young people across the world.”
Commonwealth Games Minister Nigel Huddleston added his support for the games: “Esports has connected millions of young people across the Commonwealth, providing entertainment and a vital sense of community. The Commonwealth Esports Championships is a major vote of confidence in the West Midlands’ and UK’s thriving esports industry and an exciting chance to look at how this can be brought into the Commonwealth Sport Movement.”
Overall the Commonwealth Esports Championships are an attempt to expand the appeal and reach of the Commonwealth Games. The Commonwealth Games will also feature the Commonwealth Esports Forum, a convention held alongside the tournament event.
Who’s competing?
Today’s games announcement came after the major meeting of partners involved in the Commonwealth Esports Championships. Attendees included members of the CGF, British Esports Association, Global Esports Federation, representatives from 60 Commonwealth nations and territories.
At the close of the meeting, delegations were briefed on how to arrange participants, with team selections now underway. However, we currently have no solid confirmations of participants for the events.
The Commonwealth Esports Championships will take place at the ICC in Birmingham, UK, from August 6th to August 7th. The Commonwealth Esports Forum will take place the day before, on August 5th.
