Adequately preparing young people entering professional esports is a growing problem for our industry. What can we do to equip young pro players with the tools and skills they need to thrive in an industry that so often leads to burnout and fatigue? 

The panel will feature Cloud9's Director of Youth Esports Education & Training Susie Kim. Kim joined Cloud9 in April 2018 as the General Manager of the organization's Overwatch League franchise London Spitfire. Ahead of the 2019 Overwatch League season, Kim assumed her new role and Spitfire Team Manager Robin Lee was promoted to General Manager. 

Susie Kim will be joined by a variety of panelists around the esports industry. CEO of Collegiate Starleague Duran Parsi will be providing perspective from hosting a series of collegiate tournaments in multiple games across the country. Student Advisor to Champlain College Esports Zynab Makki will also be bringing her unique insights on the collegiate esports experience.

Director of the National Association of Collegiate Esports Michael Brooks will also be a member of the panel, and should paint a vivid picture of the present and future of collegiate esports in the general sense. Super League Gaming VP of Partnerships & Strategic Marketing Nikki-Shum Harden will also be speaking on the panel. Super League Gaming is a global platform for amateur gamers to experience their favorite esports just like the professional players.

Rounding out the panel is Mark "Garvey" Candella. The Director of Strategic Partnerships at Twitch currently leads the Twitch Student Program in addition to his position. Garvey won't be the only Twitch representation on the panel — Partnerships Account Manager Kevin Hoang will be serving as Moderator.

In this panel, we will consider healthy and productive practices, vital skill sets players need to learn at a young age, and systems we can put in place at esports entry points (like the collegiate and amateur level) to help bright stars stay on the path to success. Player burnout is an issue across multiple esports that not only affects player performance in the immediate, but player longevity in the long-term.

Arguably the most integral factor in preventing player burnout is ensuring esports grows with proper infrastructure, both for player health mental and physical, but also career longevity. 

This panel will take place at 11:00am in the Moss Cove of University of California Irvine's Conference Center and should not be missed by anyone invested in the future of esports and the development of the next generation of aspiring esports professionals. Feel free to check out more of the IGEC panels here: https://www.invenglobal.com/igec/panels. 

IGEC 2019 will be held at the University of California Irvine Conference Center on Tuesday, June 4, 2019. Get your tickets now! bit.ly/2J4QGce