eSports in Jamaica

Retrospect on the movers and shakers in eSports in Jamaica

2014 has been an exciting year for Jamaica for gaming and the industries that surround it. The gaming communities have strived to bring competitive gaming to the forefront for years but has not really made any significant progress until now. I would like to take the time to look at the key players that have made a big difference in the gaming scene here in Jamaica. Here is my top 5 movers and shakers for eSports in Jamaica.

5. Dean Barnnett

If you play FIFA competitively in Jamaica then you will know who Dean is. Founder of the Silverbirds Steel Pan Band, Dean is also the Captain and Manager of Empire Arcadia’s FIFA video game team. Dean hosts monthly FIFA tournaments at the Silver Birds manor located at 21 WestLake Richmond Park.

Dean’s multi-talent in management between his band and eSports division has earned him respect throughout the gaming community and peers in business alike. His band is renown throughout Jamaica as well as his FIFA Division which not only won the International Caribbean Championship for FIFA in St. Maarten in 2013 but has also won the Digicel DigiCup FIFA eSports Championship in Jamaica over the summer.

Dean continues to host his monthly FIFA Tournament which you can find more information about here: http://bit.ly/1ugir4p for more information on Dean you can contact him on his team’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/EmpireArcadia or follow on twitter at: @EmpireArcadia   

4. Gregory Moore

One of Jamaica’s premiere retailers for video games is Str8Games; owned by Gregory Moore. Gregory has worked with countless companies in Jamaica to host a number of video game oriented events. From providing video game equipment to structuring the event itself, you name it and Gregory has played a part in it.

Str8Games is currently in the planning phases to set up a local tournament series in Sovereign Mall in Kingston Jamaica. With his experience in direct business sales via retail and business development Gregory is one of the key players in the development of eSports in Jamaica and is the one to watch out for. 

You can find out more about Gregory and Str8Games at the stores Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/str8games or follow him on twitter at @str8gamesja

3. Wayne Benjamin

It’s a shame that a lot of people in Jamaica have no idea who “Wayne Benjamin” is. The fact of the matter is, Wayne is single handily responsible for Jamaica’s sole gaming channel “The Lab Video Game TV”. Aired on FLOW Channel 100, the Lab Video Game TV show case some of the newest video games out to date along with what is going on in the video game industry.

This is a huge contribution to gaming in Jamaica on so many levels. Of late Wayne has been focusing his attention on eSports in Jamaica by lending his resources and multi-year talents in filming to help develop eSports in Jamaica from the media end.

Wayne recently launched season 6 of The Lab Video Game TV series which focuses on the core development strategies for laying down the foundation of eSports in Jamaica. You can view the episode here: http://youtu.be/H17D579S_90 for more information and video content on the Lab Video Game TV you can check out their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/TheLabVideoGameTV?fref=ts  or follow on twitter at: @TheLabGameTV

2. Andrew Johnson

Andrew is no stranger to competitive gaming in Jamaica. Not only is he a competitor he is also Jamaica’s premiere tournament director. Andrew manages one of Jamaica’s largest online social communities for gaming via Fighter’s Allegiance Jamaica on Facebook.

Andrew’s passion to see Jamaica move forward in eSports is shown through his hard work and dedication as he self-funded the National Jamaican eSports Tournament “Mash Di Button” which he founded. Andrew is one of the core components in making eSports work in Jamaica as he was instrumental for bringing international support for eSports to Jamaica to help lay down its foundation.

Andrew is now working behind the scene with key eSports enthusiast of like minds to ensure that competitive gaming will be a huge industry in Jamaica. For more information about Andrew check out his Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fightersallegianceja/ or follow on Twitter at: @FAllegianceja  

1. TriForce Johnson

A Jamaican Native comes home to master mind a plan to put his home country on the map in the eSports world. Triforce has created a network with members in the Jamaican gaming community and major companies both in Jamaica and the United States.

TriForce spent one year working behind the scene with Digicel while in the United States to set up the country’s Virtual World Cup tournament which has now created a rippling effect that has gained the attention of other major businesses in Jamaica to help spearhead eSports in Jamaica.

Continuing his work abroad, TriForce is slowly giving Jamaica international exposure in eSports to officially welcome the country to the industry. When at the Digicel FIFA Championships, TriForce dedicated his team Empire Arcadia’s; World Record for the most documented Tournament wins for a gaming team to the country of Jamaica in respect to his late mother who was buried in Jamaica in 2012. 

For more information on TriForce you can visit his Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/EMP.TriForce.GameMaster or follow him on Twitter at: @EMP_TriForce_GM

The future for gaming in Jamaica is bright and I would like to know your thoughts on other movers and shakers in Jamaica for eSports. So please leave your comments below and tell me who you think should have made this list. I’m really interested to know who else out there is helping to push the cause because they need the recognition as well. You can also follow me on Twitter at: @Mr_Gamehead and visit my Facebook page for more news on gaming in Jamaica and worldwide. 

more.

Question Time With The Emperor

Welcome to another Monday blog installment. Thanks for sticking with me in this transitional period of me not having any idea about what I want to write. So I have been ridiculously busy working in real life both at my day job as a VoIP engineer and my side job as a gamer aficionado to the world at large. For about a year now I have been trying to set plans in motion to embark on a journey to bring eSports to Jamaica on a corporate level. Months later and here we are with the world ambassador and advocate of competitive gaming Isaiah 'Triforce' Johnson as Digicel Jamaica becomes the first corporation to embrace the world of competitive gaming. I sat down for a quick Q & A with the man himself so others can get an understanding of who he is and what he brings to the table.

1. What is your full name and how did you get the name Triforce?
My full name is Isaiah TriForce Johnson. I added TriForce to my first name because a lot of my friends know me for being a huge Zelda fan. At first my friends just wanted to call me Zelda but I told them that is the Princess of the game and they did not agree with calling me Link. I’m not a bag guy so Ganon didn’t fit. Originally they did not like calling me GameMaster because in the arcades I use to put up TGM. It was my friend Robert Billings who then suggested TriForce and I agreed with it and the name stuck. I was able to still use TGM in arcades and if it allowed 4 letters I would put TFGM. It wasn’t until around 2002 I started putting EMP as my tag instead but that is because I wanted to pay tribute to my gaming team that I formed. 

2. Has your family always been supportive of your gaming and vision for the future?

Not my Mother so much but my Father does support and encourage me a lot to pursue my passions in gaming. In fact it was my very own Father that started it up for me as a gamer. He himself use to play Pac-man in the cab station that he use to take me to when he was working and getting ready to take me home from school.


3. Why do so many people feel the need to judge you as a bad person in the FGC?
I’m not from the Fighting Game Community and my outlook on a lot of things gaming never meshed with their sub-culture. I could go into a long drawn out story about it but to be honest, I’m at a point where it doesn’t even matter anymore. I have supporters and non-supportive people in the FGC and I’m fine with that. 50/50 is not bad and you can’t please everyone so that as good as it will get for me. What matters is that my fellow Nintendo gamers support my love for Nintendo and we share that common goal and bond. N4L

4. List 5 of your favorite or most respected non-EMP FGC members (Players/Organisers)?
Jason Cole - @AfroCole
Seth Killian - @sethkillian
LI Joe - @thisislijoe
Mr. Qurate - @MrQuaRate
Mike Ross -  @ThatMikeRossGuy

5. Why?
They all keep it real and hustle their passions hard.

6. Why did you decide to call your organization Empire Arcadia?
Arcades is where it really started for me. Yeah I played some game & watch, some table tops etc. however the whole culture behind it hit me at 4 for the arcade. All I saw was just people putting quarters in arcade machines and playing. I had to stand on crates to watch and I was memorized. As I got older I considered people who hung out at the arcades, “Arcadians”. Like American’s are to America. When I decided to give an official legal name to my community now turned organization, my goal was to create an Empire from born from the era of the Arcades. “Empire Arcadia”.


7. What exactly is Empire Arcadia and its function?
Empire Arcadia is a development organization that utilizes the talents, passions and innovations of its gamers to help further develop new and old elements in gaming such as, Fashion, Art, Music, Media, Education, Health, Competition, Technology, Entertainment etc. in Gaming. We just so happen to use our gaming team as the marketing team since winning draws attention.

8. What job would you have liked to pursue and why if you had not started Empire Arcadia?
Regardless that I created Empire Arcadia, I’m still going after that Community Manager and or Ambassador position for Nintendo. No if and or buts about it.

9. How has your overall experience in Jamaica been?
It’s spiritually invigorating to be home.

10. Any final words to the various gamers in Jamaica but also the world as per the future of competitive gaming and what it holds for the masses?
Everyone on the planet plays games and it is my obligatory duty to open as many gaming platforms, in as many countries in as many cities, in as many communities as I can in the world. Bless up Jamaica.

more.

Everyone Be One Be On Dat Soccer Hype

Welcome to another random Monday blog. Feel like i'm running out of topics I wanna actively talk about on this blog on Mondays so this kind of devolved into a recap or summary type of thing. So the big thing for the last couple weeks and going forwards for now is the 2014 FIFA World Cup. You know this shit is serious when even a country like USA that doesn't really give two shits about Soccer comes out in support of their national team. Personally there is only one team to back which is Argentina but let everyone have their fun in the spirit of competition. Shit is so real even corporate business places are filled with the gasps, sighs, and cheers of workers watching the matches and enjoying the hype in the typical work day. Shit is so intense my department has a betting pool going on for each stage of the tournament. I tried it out for the first section but they upped the stakes from $500 to $1000 so I had to fall back from that cause i'm not about that life. Hopefully your team that you are carrying or bandwagoning with is still currently in the tournament; if not then tough shit better luck next 4 years. Here is the current standings as of typing this blogpost:

Switching gears a bit but still on Soccer news; Digicel is spearheading an e-Sports related event in tandem with the current World Cup fever sweeping the world. I present to you the Digicel FIFA 2014 World DigiCup Ranking Tournament sponsored by Digicel Jamaica; endorsed by Empire Arcadia and organized by Fighter's Allegiance Jamaica. This tournament is Digicel's first venture into the realm of e-Sports and competitive gaming in Jamaica. This tournament will see 32 selected finalists compete in a virtual world cup with each finalist representing one of the 32 teams qualified for this years World Cup competition. The eventual winner of the tournament receives $100,000 and a Samsung Galaxy S5 courtesy of Digicel Jamaica; second place walks away with $50,000 and third place takes home $25,000. Digicel Jamaica is the leader of technology and innovation in the telecommunications field and as such saw it fit to take it upon themselves to be the first major corporation to take the initiative to join the world of e-Sports. Check out this wrap up footage from the event by one of the attendants:

Anywhore i'm going to just leave this here as this is and go test this El Gato capture card I got. All the best and hope to see you come out and support the event on the various tournament dates on July 5th, July 6th, July 12th, July 13th. Stay tuned to our Facebook fan page, Fighter's Allegiance Jamaica and Empire Arcadia for further news concerning the event. Quick side note; I realize my life is getting a bit more hectic and as such I doubt I will be ale to do video game reviews every week so ill be aiming to do one game review every two weeks instead. Thanks for understanding and as always "keep on gaming"...

more.

Time To Start Catching Up

Guys!!! Girls!!! Animals of the jungle!!! Lend me your ears... I'm back in the booth; haters still lying but your boy is da truth. I am finally getting back to blogging for those that care, it's been nearly a month since I stopped blogging due to a wide variety of activities and time constraints but now that things are simmering down we can get back to basics. Keeping this short and sweet as best as I can; with that been said first up is Mash Di Button 2014.

Mash Di Button

I wont get into too much details in regards to the event since I already covered that in a previous blog. Sad to say I couldn't take first place in the Injustice tournament but instead got third place. This was the main reason I took a break from blogging since I was trying to make as much time as possible for training. Glad to see it paid off and i placed top three. On the bright side though I guess I'm consistent since last year I got third place in the Street Fighter tournament. I would have liked to have video footage and pics to show you but I was also a judge during the competition and forgot my camera so I have no personal footage to share. Thankfully I got the hook up to some pictures so you can enjoy. Click the picture below to open up the Facebook picture album.

Guild Wars 2

Recently a fan/friend bought me a copy of Guild Wars 2 and as with most MMORPG's it took over my life. This is partly why I don't review MMORPG games when I do reviews because they are far too time consuming and easy to get addicted to. In any case I finally hit lvl 80 recently and got most of the gear needed for my character so its with perfect timing now that i can start to ease off the crack pipe called Guild Wars 2 and get back to doing video game reviews. Had fun while it lasted and even streamed it on the twitch channel. You can check that out below...

Watch live video from The_Ghost_Who_Walks on TwitchTV

FIFA 2014 Digicup Gamers Challenge

Since roughly about last year august I have been trying to work on getting Digicel to embrace the realm of E-Sports. Alongside influential entities both local and overseas such as Fighters Allegiance Jamaica and The Empire Arcadia respectively we have started planting seeds. Seeds we hope one day grow into big burly connections so that the realm of E-Sports can be embraced on multiple levels of Jamaican society. It has been a long and arduous road that has had its fair share of growing pains. This however is beginning to form and take root as Digicel finally put together an E-Sports event to run alongside the currently ongoing FIFA World Cup. As things progress we hope this will be a clear cut sign to other entities in Jamaica to take a closer look at the potential and market reach that ventures into E-Sports holds for them. Now that the preliminaries are over the next step is the Finals on the 28th of June; hope to see you all out in full support of what is shaping up to be quite the event.

Well that's basically everything that has happened  thus far. Special thanks to all those who stuck around wanting to see more and all the new likes we got on our Facebook fan page. Glad to see you back here reading again and until next time; keep on gaming.

more.

The impact of the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector on the Jamaican economy, culture and communications

Digicel is a privately held firm owned by Denis O‟Brien a Boston College educated, Irishman. Forbes magazine in 2010 estimated his net worth at US$4.2B placing him 254 on the Forbes rich list. In April 2001, when Digicel launched its GSM mobile service in Jamaica, the company anticipated reaching the 100,000 customer plateau by the end of its first year in operation. Instead, it hit the 100,000 mark a mere 100 days after launch. Never before in the country's history of mobile telecommunications had such tremendous growth been seen in a network, as Digicel broke record after record on its way to surpassing its major competitor as the mobile provider with the largest customer base in the island.

Digicel raised the bar where an acceptable level of network coverage was concerned. Jamaicans living in rural parishes finally had a genuine option for mobile communications. With an island-wide network of over 1,000 cellular towers spread across all 14 parishes, Digicel firmly established itself as the mobile provider with the premier network coverage across the country. The company's approach of affordable phones, a user-friendly approach and mass marketing earned Digicel a leading place in the market that it astutely defended. From its inception to this very day Digicel has helped mold and shape Jamaica in a wide variety of ways, their arrival in the island was truly a catalyst that set the telecommunications sector in motion.

Liberalisation of the telecommunications market commenced with the granting of two new carrier licences for the provision of domestic mobile voice, data, and information services. Each mobile entrant used a different technology for its mobile network. Mossel (which operates under the trade name Digicel) commenced service in April 2001 using Global System of Mobile (GSM) Communications; later that year Oceanic Digital Jamaica (now Claro) commenced operation deploying Code Division Multi Access (CDMA); while C&WJ, who had been offering mobile services in Jamaica since 1991, employed Time Division Multi Access (TDMA). CWJ subsequently switched from TDMA to GSM, similar to Digicel except that they operate on different frequencies. Competition in the provider market is always beneficial to the customer so as to ensure maximum value for their money.

FLOW

Flow offers what it calls its Triple Play services to residential consumers: digital cable TV, digital landline and broadband internet access. Flow has the highest capacity broadband network in the country with 320 Gbps capability with excess capacity of approximately 75%. Since the entry of Flow in 2005 the cost of ADSL and other broadband services have fallen in excess of 60%. This has impacted our culture as well being able to bring Jamaicans that much closer to a first world technological experience even though we are considered a third world country. Allowing information of all shapes and sizes to be readily accessible by the masses; this has help speed up the cultural imperialization of our country to better match the ideals and values of the world of large. 

DIGICEL

Digicel has made a large impact on Jamaica economically through bout their corporate actions and through the Digicel Foundation's exemplary charity work. Most recently though the building of a US$65M headquarters in downtown Kingston, an area that has been blighted by urban flight. The headquarters is expected to house 1,000 employees and politicians and real estate agents are expecting that this will be a catalyst for growth and renewal in the downtown business district. This is poised to bring in a lot of new businesses and interest in the area. We can see this already with the introduction of a Domino's pizza store and increased pedestrian traffic down by the waterfront properties.

LIME

In response to Digicel entering the telecommunications market; C&WJ in 2008, embarked on a new high risk transformation strategy which included corporate re-branding and changing its name from C&WJ to LIME. Since the emergence of Digicel LIME has essentially been playing a constant game of catch up trying to hold on to what little of the market-share they still have. This has led to a fair amount of promotions and network improvements beneficial to the customers such as their 3G network upgrade and launching the Caribbean's first mobile television service. This show of technological improvement pushed Digicel to one up LIME by implementing 4G technology and upgrading their own network to better facilitate their customers growing mobile needs. Most recently LIME launched a $2.99 campaign on call rates to which Digicel countered with a flurry of call plans to give the customer the best available call rate to suit their needs. In our currently declining economy value for money is a major concern for customers no matter what company you side with.

With all that being said it seems like Digicel was one of if not the biggest catalyst for technological change in the recent history of Jamaica. This is seen from the direct impact they have made on the telecommunications industry as well as indirectly pushing the competition to step their game up and not just rest on their laurels. This primarily helps Jamaica as a whole to step forward into the technological information age and become self aware that just as they take notice of other countries they are being watched as well. As stated previously the impact can be seen in a variety of ways but more so on Jamaica's economy, culture and communications advancement.

more.

eSports Is Here!!! Are You Not Entertained?

Time for another random Monday blog with your friendly neighborhood gamer Zalgo Cometh. Today we will be looking at the ever growing topic of eSports and its somewhat sudden meteoric rise to popularity. So lets drop some knowledge for the masses. Oh before I forget I know a few people have been messaging me asking why I haven't been doing more general topics for the random Monday blog post that more relate to the average person but fear not. I will get back into those in due time just felt a bit burnt out and the mental juices haven't really been flowing but feel free to send me topics you might feel are interesting that I can speak on. Anywhore...

Electronic sports (or eSports) is a term for organized video game competitions, especially between professionals. The most common video game genres associated with electronic sports are real-time strategy, fighting, first-person shooter, and multiplayer online battle arena. Tournaments such as the World Cyber Games, the Evolution Championship Series, and the Intel Extreme Masters provide both live broadcasts of the competition, and cash prizes to competitors.

Although eSports have long been a part of video game culture, competitions have seen a large surge in popularity in recent years. Professional gaming isn't exactly new. Gamers have been making a living off their skills since the late '90s. While competitions before around the year 2000 were largely between amateurs, the proliferation of professional competitions and growing viewership now supports a significant number of professional players and teams, and many video game developers now build features into their games designed to facilitate such competition.

Not only are large organizations like MLG (Major League Gaming) and EVO (Evolution Championship Series) putting on these events in America, but the developers of these eSports titles have begun hosting their own massive tournaments and leagues in the states as well. Riot Games, developer of the massively popular free-to-play MOBA League of Legends, also hosts their own tournament league, LCS (League Championship Series). Riot Games recently made huge strides for eSports as a whole in the U.S., going through a lengthy process to prove that League of Legends is a legitimate sport to the U.S. government. Thanks to the developer, the United States government now recognizes pro LoL players as professional athletes, and will award them visas to work in the U.S. under that title.

Jamaica has an opportunity to enter into this "new" emerging market and get in on the ground floor for a very lucrative and influential market. The potential for growth, mass market appeal and reach is an untapped resource that more companies need to take notice of and utilize. Companies such as LIME and Digicel are potentially the first major companies to start taking notice of the realm of eSports. They have begun to look through the door of opportunity that is before them so now all that is left is for them to boldly step through and invest well to solidify their impact and relevance in the industry as its pioneers. Due to the potential reach and impact of the eSports industry advertising and reaching multiple markets had never been easier especially if one appeals to a specific region such as the Caribbean. The first organization to step up to the plate is a group of long time gamers spearheading a group called the Fighters Allegiance Of Jamaica led by a man called Andrew Johnson. If they can plan, organize and make this a reality just imagine what they could do with corporate backing? Last year was quite the sight to behold and a big success so they have decided to do it again so this year be sure to do your part and support the eSports scene in Jamaica so it can grow and offer a wider range of events and exposure for yet another Jamaican talent pool to rise and showcase the island of wood and water.

So much promise for tourism and exposure is at our fingertips we have but to reach out and grab it. Granted it may be a rough and risky road but we have something to circumvent a lot of the start up issues ventures like this usually face. Whats this you may ask? That would be the support and vested interest of the worlds number one most winning competitive gaming organization the Empire Arcadia. Why you may ask well national pride is a wonderful thing because just as fate would have it the founder and CEO is of Jamaican lineage and would like to establish an eSports foothold here in the Caribbean with Jamaica as the center of it all. Lets build an empire...

Do your part and help support, promote, and endorse the future of eSports in Jamaica. I myself will go and try to get what practice I can so I don't embarrass myself at the tournament; hope to see you there. Mash Di Button 2014 on May 31st at Shop 21 Springs Plaza Half Way Tree. Bring your hype, bring your pride, and bring your support!!!

more.