Combo Breakers: Celebrating BAME in Esports
In celebration of Black History Month, Warwick Esports are running an event to celebrate BAME history and representation in esports. The event, titled Combo Breakers, will feature an educational talk by Melanin Gamers, as well as a Tekken 7 tournament, with prizes provided by HyperX. It will be hosted out of the University of Warwick’s new esports centre on Wednesday 20th October and is free and fully open to the public.
““As part of our growing initiatives to empower and acknowledge minorities within the esports community, we saw that Black History Month gives us a wonderful opportunity to recognise people of colour, both within our club and within the industry as a whole.”
“We’re working closely with people of ethnic minorities both inside and outside our leadership to make this event happen, and the support we are getting from both our staff and the university gives us confidence that not only will this event be successful, but its future incarnations will also be even bigger and better.”
Melanin Gamers, who will be giving a talk at the event, are an international community built around promoting diversity and inclusion within esports and gaming who regularly hold panel discussions, workshops and presentations on industry-relevant topics with the aim of empowering and educating.
“When the student society approached me and the Centre to host this event, I was blown away by the research and effort that had gone into it. Not only are they providing an opportunity to celebrate BAME in esports through play, but their event has also brought in an influential group who will inspire and educate the whole community. Uplifting events like these are what the society, centre, and the university are all about”
For those wishing to attend the event, the esports centre is in the junction building at the centre of the University of Warwick’s campus. The talks will start at 2pm, with the tournament at 3:30-4pm, with the whole event wrapping up by 6-7pm. More information can be found on the event page. If you can’t make the event, it will also be live streamed at https://twitch.tv/warwickesports.
