IGEC.

Esports Business and Industry

Keynote: Taking Esports to the Next Level

Esports has come a long way in the past 20 years. From folding tables and informally arranged meetups to sold out arenas and global broadcasts, we’re collectively at a critical juncture for our industry. What are the challenges we face today and how can we ensure that esports continues to blossom over the next 20 years and beyond?

Esports Business and Industry

Welcome to the Arena: How does Mobile Lead Esports Phenomenon

Mobile Esports is growing rapidly in Asia as the core element of the development of Esports. We would like to share our insights on how to improve a game and the mutual relationship of a game and its Esports promotion, in the perspective of a game developer and a manager. We also want to share our ideas on how mobile Esports can make its player-base bigger by lowering the entry wall and how to make the game more compelling with game shows and trials.

Esports Pro Teams and Players

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Life as a League of Legends Pro

They were High School students who chose an unconventional and uncertain future. Then, Pro gamers who became a worldwide stars. Now, veterans who lived through the entirety of League of Legends professional history.

What is the life of a professional gamer? Madlife and Shy, the once legendary names known by all of League of Legends Esports fans, share their story. Both with eight years of experience competing at the highest level, they now share valuable insights on the beginning, and the end, of life a professional gamer. A must attend to panel for those wanting to understand the full breadth of a pro-gamers career.

Collegiate Esports

The Global Reach of College/University Esports

In order for Esports to establish long lasting roots in mainstream culture, it must mesh into the fabric of everyday life. One of the most efficient and natural ways to achieve this is introducing Esports into schools.

Led by Mark “Garvey” Candella, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Twitch, this presentation revolves around collegiate Esports leagues and their importance in introducing Esports to the new generation of gamers and college students. With years of experience delivering countless tournaments to students and collegiate fans around the world, Garvey has an vast mental library of information, much of which could prove vital for those interested in entering the collegiate Esports market. Donald Marinelli, the Director of Innovation at Inven Global, will be participating as well, to share his insight through a Q&A with Garvey; he will highlight the international status of collegiate esports in order to provide an even more comprehensive experience.

Esports Business and Industry

Esports: Road to the Olympics

The esports market in China is growing rapidly with the help of massive infrastructure. Every year, many game competitions are held and outstanding players are appearing in different games. Not only are the esports competitions and player results growing, the size of the esports business is growing as well. At the center of this growth, there is the aggressive investment of Alisports of Alibaba group.

Jason Fung, global esports director of Alisports, will be talking about this matter from a business perspective. From introducing Alisports, he will speak of what is different with WESG, which is Alisports’ international esports competition, and about the global view on strategy, partnership, and business models. Additionally, He’ll be talking about the long run of the esports industry and about the ultimate goal of ‘Esports being an olympic event’.

If you’re interested in the Chinese esports market and the future of worldwide esports business, Jason Fung’s lecture will be sure to enlighten you.

Esports Business and Industry

EDG Head Coach's First US Talk: A Miracle Jump -- Esports in China

The details of this lecture will be updated soon

Esports Business and Industry

Voice Chat Off: Working and Playing as a Woman in Gaming

Conversational in nature, unfiltered in delivery, this panel serves to illuminate the challenges and realities of working and playing in the gaming industry as a woman. Navigating a male dominated field that, historically, has failed to appeal or market itself towards girls of any age has created real obstacles for the women looking to turn a love of gaming into a full time career. This panel discussion followed by a Q & A session will discuss theses issue while providing insights on how to overcome them.

Esports Business and Industry

Building a Sustainable Esports Ecosystem

Mr. Taewon Yun is the general manager of global publishing at Super Evil Megacorp, the developer of Vainglory, the world's biggest mobile esport. Vainglory has in a short time grown to become the largest international mobile esport, played and watched by millions every month and supported by sponsors including Coca-Cola, Razer, NVIDIA, Amazon and global esports franchises TSM, Cloud9, Fnatic, Rox, DetonatioN Gaming, G2 Esports, SK Gaming and many more. Mr. Yun will speak about the future of esports and the development of a sustainable ecosystem so that esports can truly become mainstream.

Esports Pro Teams and Players

Misconceptions about the Business of Esports

With esports beginning its surge into the mainstream, more money and investment has flooded the space than ever before. Esports are seeing more new faces than ever before in the form of a new audience from skyrocketing viewership, new sponsors looking to make a splash, and traditional sports investors chasing familiar franchise models.

With burgeoning interest in esports come many new questions and misconceptions. How viable is franchising? Where should you invest? What is an esport? In this talk, Reynad plays the devil's advocate to today's herd mentality in the business side of esports.

Esports Business and Industry

How AirAsia Allstars Created Internal and External Awareness of Esports

Esports: How a few employees from a non-endemic brand with 24,000 employees; ran a campaign to spread esports awareness to senior management; from forming an esports club for their employees, obtaining buy-in from senior management to sponsor one of the top esports Dota 2 pro team in ASEAN and globally. Also, they recently acquired majority share in one of the best mobile esports teams in ASEAN - all within less than a year!

At IGEC, Allan Phang will be putting to rest common misconceptions that hinder non-endemic brands from entering the world of esports. Embrace digital transformation and learn the secrets of Phang’s techniques during this game-changing presentation at IGEC!

Collegiate Esports

Beyond the Media Hype: An Insider's Look at the World of College Esports

The growth of college Esports has been well documented by the media and nearly always celebrated as a series of positive milestones. This presentation will take a critical, insider's look at the history, growth, and current landscape in college Esports. We will challenge some of the current narrative and provide guidance for accurately evaluating the collegiate scene as it continues to grow.

Esports Pro Teams and Players

More Than Culture: How Korea Is Fostering the Next Generation of Fakers

Anyone and everyone knows that Korea is leading the forefront of the Esports Market: they have been for 20 years. However, can they truly explain why? Instead of just accepting that “Koreans are better at Esports” this panel serves to explain the specific and exact techniques that coaches in Korea use to turn young gamers into international champions.

Learn from four indisputability successful Esports coaches that have managed players and teams in the most competitive environments imaginable. They’ve felt the pressure, lived through defeats, celebrated victories and now they have come to the US to share techniques Korea is currently using to create the next generation of Fakers

Collegiate Esports

Game to Grow: How Esports Can Shape Student Success

The Orange County High School Esports League is leveraging student skills and passion for Esports to frame an exciting new program for student learning. While gameplay and rivalries are the cornerstones of the League, experts see an opportunity to weave STEM, English Language Arts (ELA), and social emotional learning into one of the most popular pastimes for students today. The League combines a competitive tournament, mentorship, adaptive learning programs, and abloomingcurriculum (planned for Fall 2018). Partners include the Orange County Department of Education, University of California Irvine, Connected Camps, Connected Learning Lab, OC STEM, andAlvarez & Marsal.

Collegiate Esports

Organizing and Managing an Esports Match - Based on the Experience of an Expert Esports Match Coordinator

The Inven Broadcast team has been hosting countless Esports matches for League of Legends, Hearthstone, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft for many years. For the first time in the US, the Broacasting Director and Business Director of Korea’s largest esports media company will share their real life experiences and expertise in order to illustrate the ideal and most efficient way to organize and manage Esports matches.

Esports Pro Teams and Players

The Future of the KSV Esports Pro Team

Emerging from thin air, KSV has became one of the biggest and most competitive contributors to the Esports scene. Their teams compete in League of Legends, Heroes of the Storm and, of course, in Overwatch as the renowned Seoul Dynasty. KSVs rapid growth is setting the bar high for rival Esports organizations.

Arnold Hur, Chief Growth Officer at KSV, will unpack the future for the Esports packleader. What will be the next big step for KSV? What is their ultimate goal in Esports market? How will KSV maintain its explosive growth? This talk is expansive, so more details on it will be updated routinely.

Collegiate Esports

High School Esports Development

One area where Esports will most likely emulate traditional sports is with colleges and universities recruiting high school Esports athletes. There are enough collegiate programs nowadays to test this hypothesis. Also, as 9-12 remains regional rather than national oversight, this panel will review the challenges and successes high schools have had dealing with local school boards, especially with increasing resistance to FPS games.

Esports Business and Industry

Struggles of a Professional Esports Player: From the Computer to the Spotlight

Talent agencies and Attorneys play a substantial and vital role in traditional sports. However in the Esport industry, legal agencies have just started to scratch the surface regarding their role. Dubbed “The Video Game Attorney” by the countless players and Esports figures who have benefited from his practice, Ryan Morrison, CEO of Evolve Talent Agency, is given the stage to illuminate us on the crucial legal and technical differences between traditional sports and Esports.

A must attend panel for those who manage players, organize tournaments or are looking to enter the Esports industry.

Esports Business and Industry

Designing for Esports When You Also Have a Massive Game to Support

From a game designer’s perspective, esports is quite a troublesome area. On top of having to be pleasing for the esports audience to watch, the game designers are also tasked with a mission to balance the game. This in its all is an extremely difficult task to accomplish. Through this presentation, we will finally be able to dive into what standards and proportions Greg Street, Riot Games’ design director, makes when creating a brand new character. Let’s hear what really makes a game successful, Riot Games’ considerations on esports, and how the difference between professional and casual players are kept in balance.

Esports Business and Industry

5 perspectives, 1 Big question - Should Esports attempt to emulate traditional sports?

The details of this lecture will be updated soon

Collegiate Esports

Esports and the Politics of College/University Administrations

Collegiate Esports have experienced a meteoric rise in the last few years with club and varsity programs being established nationally. Yet, resistance remains, especially among NCAA member universities. Why? More importantly, what have been the arguments swaying college and university administrations that Esports is an area of dynamic growth. To what degree has student interest and grassroots efforts impacted on campus Esports growth? All of this and more will be the focus of this dynamic panel.

Esports Pro Teams and Players

Owning a Professional Team: How to Turn Your Dreams into Reality

Owning a professional Esports organization. Anyone can dream it, but to make it into reality is another question. Hear the story of three North American Esports pioneers who know the ins-and-outs of starting a team and transforming it into something legendary.

Learn about what it takes to grow thoughts into action and how to cope with the frustration and difficulties of starting a team from scratch. Hear the truth of forming a pro team from the ground up from the people who have lived it first hand.

Special Session

Hearthstone Pioneers Table: What Makes a Casual Card Game a Tier 1 Esport

Hearthstone's Esports success has many fascinating qualities to it. Not only is it a card game that has made it into the mainstream, but its ability to deliver Esports to such a diverse fan base is simply unheard of. The traditional lines between the “casual crowd” and the “Esports fanatics” aren’t set in stone in Hearthstone, and this talk will explain why.

Join Hearthstone pro Kranich and Tempo Storm CEO and Card Game veteran Reynad in this unfiltered, unapologetic discussion on what makes Hearthstone Esports tick.

Esports Business and Industry

Fireside Chat: Getting Involved in Esports

An interactive discussion on one of the industry's most ask questions: how do I get into esports? What are some of the successful paths to take, mistakes to avoid and position yourself for a career in one of the most sought-after spaces.