Albany, N.Y. – The team behind HV Gamer Con 2019, is pleased to announce the teams and games have been selected for the tournament and expo to be held March 30 and 31, 2019 in Albany, N.Y.
The HV Gamer Con is the first tournament of its kind in upstate New York and the competition and accompanying expo is expected to draw a tremendous audience to downtown Albany. Collegiate teams from Providence College, Neumann University, Thomas College, Stevenson University, Saint Peter’s University, Moravian College, Keuka College, Marist College, Canisius College, SUNY Canton, Quinnipiac University and Mansfield University have committed to bringing teams to compete in tournaments in League of Legends, Overwatch and Fortnite.
In addition, New York state has recently announced a $152,000 grant award to help fund the event. It is being put on by a team made up of Albany Capital Center (ACC), Center for Economic Growth (CEG), Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC)and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The grant announcement was part of the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative in which New York Governor Andrew Cuomo established 10 Regional Councils to develop long-term strategic plans for economic growth in their regions.
“This two-day conference aligns with the Capital Region Economic Development Council’s new video game hub strategy to invest in our state’s creative economy and help establish an ecosystem of new gaming studios and software developers so that they can thrive and attract more people to the area,” said Doug McClaine, general manager of the Albany Capital Center. “This event will be a big draw for gamers and showcase what we have to offer.”
“We would like to thank the Capital Regional Economic Development Council and New York state for their support of the Hudson Valley Gamer Con. Not only will this event bring the nation’s top collegiate gamers and software developers to the Capital Region, it will also allow us to raise the national profile of our video game hub and attract the talent that our thriving video game studios need to succeed,” said Center for Economic Growth President and CEO Andrew Kennedy.
“The MAAC is extremely grateful that New York state and the REDC have decided to recognize the HV Gamer Con. HV Gamer Con is a unique event that will simultaneously allow for a world class esport tournament for fans and players as well as showcase the high-tech industry in the Capital Region allowing us the chance to connect our current players with future employers,” said Kiernan Ensor, MAAC esports consultant and Canisius College esports coordinator.
“We are thrilled at this award from the Regional Economic Development Council,” said Dan Coonan, president and CEO of the Eastern College Athletic Conference. “We applaud their vision for this event and appreciate their support. This promises to be a spectacular event for the ECAC, for intercollegiate esports, and for the Region.”
This grant will help to solidify the Capital Region as a gaming destination for collegiate-level gaming during the growing video game development cluster. Throughout the eight counties, this cluster includes at least 14 studios that employ more than 350 workers, including more than 285 software developers, according to a February 2018 CEG study. More than half of the studios surveyed had hiring plans for the next 12 months.
Tickets for HV Gamer Con 2019 are on sale now. All session tickets will be $40 for adults and $20 for students. Individual session tickets will be $25 for adults and $15 for students and include access to the competition and expo. For the schedule and more information on the event, please visit albanycapitalcenter.com.
