New tournament will feature five teams ranked in the top ten and its all for a good cause.
Over the next three weeks, the Video Game Voters Network (VGVN) and One Nation of Gamers (ONOG) will be hosting an Overwatch competition. One that will help bring awareness to the challenges that professional gamers face when attempting to secure a P1 visa. The competition will feature prominent teams such as Cloud9, Team Liquid, EnVyUs, Luminosity Gaming, and Gale Force eSports, all battling for a $15,000 prize pool.
More information about the tournament can be found here, but here is a brief rundown:
- Open qualifiers will take place on June 7 at 6 PM EDT, and June 10 at 8 PM EDT.
- Teams can register for the June 7 qualifier here, or the June 10 qualifier here.
- Pool play will take place at 8 PM EDT on June 11, 12, 18, 19.
- Playoffs will be held at 8 PM EDT on June 24 and 25.
- Grand finals will be at 8 PM EDT on June 26.
- There is no word yet on what scoring system will be used.
In order for foreign players to compete at events in America, they must be granted entry under a P1 visa. Esport competitors have been considered athletes when applying for P1 visas since 2013, but there are still issues when determining which games are considered esports which inhibits some competitors’ ability to obtain a visa. Visa issues have been a major concern for some time, but recently gained more attention after Super Smash Bros. Melee player William “Leffen” Hjelte was denied a visa. This spurred a social media campaign that resulted in over 115,000 signatures on a whitehouse.gov petition.
During the tournament, VGVN and ONOG will be collecting signatures at http://vgvn.onog.gg/ in an attempt to show lawmakers that eSports should be taken seriously, and foreign players should have easier access to P1 visas. This tournament is not only for a good cause, but features some of the top teams, including Cloud9 who dominated the month of May with a 14-0 record. Four other teams from the top ten will also be competing, including the number two ranked team, EnVyUs.
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