Heads up, Smash players! We recently received some feedback from a few members of the community who’ve requested the payout for our upcoming Smash Bros. tournament at Gamers for Giving be restructured. After discussing the topic with our TO, we’ve decided to reorganize the prize pool and distribute the tournament’s prize money as follows:

• 1st Place: $400
• 2nd Place: $200
• 3rd Place: $125
• 4th Place: $75

As noted above, the tournament will still have a guaranteed $800 prize pool. However, players that finish in the top 4 will now receive a cash prize. The tournament’s prize pool may increase in the event of excess or specialized sponsorship, but will otherwise remain constant regardless of the number of tournament participants.

The entire format for this year’s Smash tournament can be found here. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out via Twitter or email!

We look forward to seeing you at the EMU Convocation Center!

Raised by feral hamsters in the rain forests of the American Midwest, and considered a boy wizard to much of the gaming community, LEGIQN has been attending and playing in FPS tournaments since before the nimbus-3000 was released.

After a tragic quidditch accident forced an abrupt end to his professional career, LEGIQN discovered his true passion: yelling about things that happen while other people are playing video games because he’s not good enough to compete himself.

Thanks to the power of the internet, it wasn’t long before his new-found talent(?) blossomed into a full time career. He’s been making YouTube videos ever since leaving the competitive scene.

In seriousness – we’re excited to welcome one of gaming’s favorite funnymans to Gamers for Giving 2016. LEGIQN will be joining us at this year’s event to help host various streams throughout the venue in support of our $100K fundraising goal.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter, and stop by his YouTube channel for the lols.

We’ll see you on March 12th & 13th at the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center!

Cinnabacon. Maple brown sugar. Teriyaki beef. What do these things have in common? Aside from being incredibly tasty themselves – they’re all flavors of delicious beef jerky sustenance created by a company called JerkyXP!

Based in Warren, Ohio – JerkyXP was founded in 2013 by two college students with a passion for competitive gaming. The brand, which creates gamer-themed beef jerky food items, has quickly cultivated a cult following of fans and enthusiasts. Led by Jack the CEO, (who is literally a dog) the company has taken the esports twitterverse by storm with their variety of jerky flavors, and monthly delivery packages of tasty beef and bacon jerky.

JerkyXP will be joining us at Gamers for Giving 2016, offering a variety of flavors for purchase at their booth during the event. A portion of sales will be donated to Gamers Outreach in support of our fundraising efforts at the end of the weekend.

Be sure to stop by their table to try out some of their jerky flavors, and show them some love on Twitter for supporting our work!

We’ll see you March 12th & 13th at the EMU Convocation Center!

One of the founding fathers of modern esports – we’re honored to welcome Scott “SirScoots” Smith as a special guest of Gamers for Giving 2016!

SirScoots is one of the most experienced figureheads within competitive gaming. After entering the scene as a Counter-Strike competitor in 1999, Scoots joined the team of GotFrag, which was a leading source of news for hardcore enthusiasts interested in esports and professional gamers. After the website was purchased by Major League Gaming in 2007, Scoots became the COO of Evil Geniuses (acquired by Twitch), one of the most storied professional gaming teams in esports. Having led players and teams to multiple tournament victories, Scoots stepped down from active duty at EG to pursue new ventures within gaming. If you’ve kept up with competitive Counter-Strike, you’ve no doubt recently seen Scoots behind the analyst desk, working to host some of the world’s largest esports events.

Last year, Scoots was able to deliver three GO Karts to Phoenix Children’s Hospital thanks to a generous donation, and the results of a video game tournament hosted by Ubisoft called, “The Next Level”. Because of his efforts, kids within Phoenix Children’s now have daily access to recreation during long-term treatment and isolation.

Joining us as a guest commentator during Gamers for Giving 2016, Scoots will be interacting with attendees, catching a few games, and helping us host various streams throughout the event in support of this year’s fundraising goal.

If you’re on Twitter, give @SirScoots a follow, and be sure to say hello during the event!

We’ll see you on March 12th & 13th at the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center!

This year, Gamers Outreach will be partnering with a variety of communities, streamers, and content creators to provide coverage of Gamers for Giving. With their help and the support of the gaming community, we hope to raise more than $100,000 to build GO Karts for hospitalized children across the U.S.

Today, we’re proud to announce our first partnership with one such group: Beyond Entertainment! We’re excited to welcome Beyond Entertainment as the official media partner of the Gamers for Giving 2016 Halo tournament! The entirety of our Halo event this March will be streamed live on Twitch.tv/teambeyondnet!

One of the leading sources of news and coverage for competitive console shooters, Beyond Entertainment has become an authoritative hub for community interaction within the Halo community. In addition to media coverage, Beyond Entertainment hosts a variety of online console tournaments – providing gamers with weekly opportunities to participate in competitions.

Halo enthusiasts can participate in this year’s tournament by purchasing a team pass here. The Gamers for Giving Halo tournament begins on March 12th. Please see the Tournaments page for more information.

The Gamers for Giving 2016 stream schedule can be found here.

Be sure to keep up with the latest Halo action by following Beyond Entertainment on Twitter, or by Liking them on Facebook!

We hope to see you on March 12th & 13th at the EMU Convocation Center!

Gamers Outreach is glad to welcome ASTRO Gaming as a sponsor of Gamers for Giving 2016! A longtime supporter of our efforts, ASTRO Gaming has stood alongside Gamers Outreach since the early days of our founding, and the brand continues to be one of our greatest advocates.

We’re incredibly proud of our relationship with ASTRO Gaming, and look forward to providing Gamers for Giving attendees with the opportunity to compete in our Call of Duty & Halo tournaments using ASTRO MixAmps, which will be provided at each console station.

ASTRO Gaming creates premium video gaming equipment and peripherals for professional gamers and hardcore enthusiasts. Spun-off from design powerhouse ASTRO Studios, (an industrial design firm responsible for the look & feel of such products as the Xbox 360, HP Blackbird, and Nike+ FuelBand) ASTRO Gaming is a leading manufacturer of video gaming accessories.

If you’re in the market for a new headset, be sure to check out some of the products available at AstroGaming.com. They’re a group of fantastic people who truly produce some of the best accessories available in the market.

We’ll also be awarding a number of ASTRO products to attendees through various activities at the event, as well as our raffle.

We’re looking forward to another great Gamers for Giving event this March, proudly supported by ASTRO Gaming!

If you’re planning to book a hotel room during Gamers for Giving 2016 – be aware that our discounted room rates with the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti Eagle Crest will only be available until March 4th!

As of this blog post, the hotel website currently lists Feb 12th as the registration deadline – but March 4th should be reflected as the proper cut-off soon.

Hotel reservations can be made here.

Gamers for Giving will run throughout the entire weekend of March 12th and 13th. The venue will be open throughout the night, and attendees are welcome to stay at the venue. That said, we’d recommend grabbing a hotel if you’re not interested in roughing the weekend with a sleeping bag or inflatable mattress.

The Marriott Eagle Crest is the official hotel of Gamers for Giving, and is a short drive from the venue.

Be sure to contact us if you have any trouble booking your rooms.

We look forward to seeing you on March 12th & 13th at the EMU Convocation Center!

Well friends, as you’ve no doubt noticed, our annual fundraising event has a new home this year! On March 12th & 13th, the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center will play host to Gamers for Giving 2016!

For the past 7 years, we’ve been proud to work with staff and students at Eastern Michigan University who’ve helped facilitate our event on the college campus. While the Student Center (our previous venue) was a great home, we’ve grown a bit over the years, and the time came to find a larger space! Now, with access to a larger venue (more than double the size of the student center) we’re better equipped than ever to create an incredible experience for all of our attendees and supporters.

The Convocation Center hosts a wide variety of events, including concerts, trade shows, banquets, and now – Gamers for Giving!

We thought it’d be helpful to give you a tour of the space. If you’ve never visited the Convocation Center, check out some of our photos below! These will help familiarize you with the venue, and provide an idea of where things will be located during the event!

Without further ado…

Welcome to the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center! Located at 799 N Hewitt Rd, Ypsilanti MI 48197! Plenty of parking will be available directly onsite. The Convocation Center is only a 5 minute drive from our recommended hotel, and approximately 5 minutes away from the venue we’ve used in previous years, EMU’s Student Center. Check out the Location & Travel section of our website to make hotel / airfare arrangements if needed!

Let’s get a little closer…

This is the main entrance of the Convocation Center! If you’re participating in our PC LAN, and plan to bring your full desktop, you’ll be able to make use of the circular driveway outside the entrance for easy unloading. We recommend you first check-in to obtain your credentials, and then pull your vehicle curbside to unload your equipment. Keep in mind: this is not a permanent parking area! Please remember to find a parking spot for your vehicle in the lot once you’ve unpacked your equipment. Carts will be made available to help you transport your PC into the venue, if needed.

Let’s go inside…

Welcome to the atrium of the Convocation Center! This is the first room you’ll see upon entering the venue. On the left side of this photo, just next to the entrance, you’ll notice the Convocation Center box office. All attendees will need to visit the box office upon arriving to the venue. From here, we’ll be distributing event credentials, and processing liability waivers. We’ll be heavily staffing this area at the start of the event to make the check-in process as seamless as possible. Spectators and press will also need to visit the box office prior to entry into the venue. If you’re a spectator or press member – there is no entry fee or need to pre-register. Simply show up to the event and request a badge! If you’d like to support the cause, we recommend coming prepared with a $10 donation – but this is entirely optional!

Let’s take a look around…

Just past the box office is the entrance to the main arena floor! There are a few ways to get inside the venue from here:

• On the far left side is the staircase to the Gamers Outreach Sky Loft. The Sky Loft is a hospitality lounge with privileged views of the arena floor and jumbotron. Premium food items and beverages will be served in a relaxing atmosphere, overlooking the entirety of the Gamers for Giving venue. We’ve made a limited number of passes publicly available. We’ll showcase the Sky Loft a bit more in a later blog post.
• In the middle of the photo, you’ll notice an area pointing to a staircase, which leads directly to the arena floor. Attendees will be able to enter and exit the main venue using this staircase, or other adjacent entrances.
• The elevator (located to the right) can help attendees access both the lower levels of the venue, as well as the Sky Loft. Attendees bringing PCs and heavy equipment may make use of the elevator to easily transport their gear to the arena floor. The elevator is also available for individuals who wish to bypass the stairs.

Let’s make our way into the venue…

As you enter the arena, note the location of the concession stand! Concessions will be available beginning at 11:00 AM on Saturday, March 12th! The stand will be open throughout the entirety of our event – even overnight! Remember, outside food and beverage is also permitted (except alcohol), so feel free to bring snacks! Aside from the concessions, there are a number of local restaurants that can deliver food to the convocation center. Check out this blog post we wrote to help give you an idea of what’s available in the area.

OK! Let’s go inside the arena…

Welcome to the main arena of the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center! Come March, this area of the venue will be fully converted into a space capable of hosting Gamers for Giving. We took a couple photos of the venue a few months back that better illustrate what the space will look like during our event. Let’s take a look…

This photo was taken directly from the arena floor. You’ll notice the basketball court has been removed, most of the bleachers have been pushed back, and the arena is entirely available for our use. Hanging from the center ceiling is the jumbotron. From this screen, we’ll be posting announcements related to the event, and also plan to stream various content throughout the weekend, highlighting the activities and tournaments happening throughout the venue.

More than half of the arena floor will be dedicated to our BYOC LAN party. Participants will be able to find their designated seat, and begin setting up their stations after checking into the event.

High in the stands, you can also see the Gamers Outreach Sky Loft. Again, we’ll be covering this space in a later post – but Sky Loft ticket holders will have access to that area of the venue throughout the weekend.

Here’s a shot of the arena floor from the other end of the venue. Console tournaments will take place towards the far end of the arena, close to the event’s main stage. The main stage will primarily be used to host a Gamers Outreach Variety Stream, which will highlight various guests, streamers, and activities happening from the event. We also plan to stream a large portion of the tournaments happening at Gamers for Giving. More details regarding our stream plans will be released in the next few weeks.

And that’s it! We’re incredibly excited to call the EMU Convocation Center the home of Gamers for Giving 2016. This will be the first time the venue has hosted such a large scale video game tournament, and we can’t wait to share the experience with all our attendees and donors!

Most importantly, through all this excitement, we’re hoping to raise more than $100,000 in support of Gamers Outreach programs. Your attendance and support will help us deliver portable video game carts (GO Karts) to children in hospitals around the country. Learn more about the cause, and consider making a donation if you’re able!

We look forward to seeing you on March 12th & 13th at the EMU Convocation Center!

It’s with great excitement we welcome Elgato as a returning sponsor of Gamers for Giving! As one of the leading hardware providers for content creators, Elgato will play an important role at our upcoming event. This is the third year Elgato has sponsored Gamers for Giving, and we’re incredibly thankful to have their support.

In case you didn’t know, Elgato is a leading hardware provider for streamers and video producers. Elgato products help gamers easily capture and record game play for publication across the internet. The company is a worldwide leader in creating app-powered lifestyle accessories that entertain and enlighten.

Elgato products will have a presence at Gamers for Giving, and streamers will have the opportunity to make use of Elgato devices during our fundraising event in March.

Feel free to stop by the company’s Facebook and Twitter page to show them some love!

We’ll see you on March 12th & 13th at the EMU Convocation Center.

Curious to know where you’ll be able to grab some noms during this year’s Gamers for Giving? Don’t worry – there are a number of options to choose from!

While the Convocation Center doesn’t have a food court like our previous venue, concessions will be open, and there are a few delivery joints near the venue that can have food brought your way. Here’s a breakdown of what will be available…

• Concession Stand: The Convocation Center will be opening its concession stand beginning at 11 AM on Saturday. Attendees will be able to access concessions at all times throughout the event – even overnight!

• Local Delivery: If the concessions aren’t offering what you’re looking for, there are a number of local restaurants which can deliver food to the convocation center. Here are a few…
  • Jimmy John’s
  • Domino’s Pizza
  • Aubree’s Pizzeria & Grill
  • NYPD Pizza
  • Tower Inn Cafe
  • Insomnia Cookies
  • Lucky 7 Chinese Food
  • Ahmo’s Gyros & Deli
    
• Outside Food & Beverage: Attendees will be able to bring their own outside food and beverages into the venue! Feel free to stock up on snacks at your local grocery store before coming over to the event. Just remember – alcohol is not permitted.

• Local Restaurants: Looking for a place to sit down? Here are a some of the local Ypsilanti restaurants we recommend…
  • Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar
  • Sidetrack Bar & Grill
  • The Bomber Restaurant (great for breakfast!)
  • The Wurst Bar
  • Haab’s Restaurant
    
  • STUFD
    
• Greater Ann Arbor area: If you’re feeling really adventurous and don’t mind driving, downtown Ann Arbor is about 15 minutes away from the venue! Forbes recently ranked Ann Arbor as the best college town in the U.S. and there are a number of great restaurants unique to the area…
  • The Black Pearl
  • Aventura
  • Zingerman’s Deli (famous for their reuben)
  • Cafe Zola
  • Frita Batidos
  • Mani Osteria and Bar
  • The Chop House (if you feel like getting fancy)
  • Old Town Tavern
  • Pizza House (Our favorite late night binge spot, open until 4 AM. Get the cheesy bread!)

We hope this list will provide you with a few helpful options during the course of the weekend. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to shoot us an email, or drop a line over on Twitter.

We’ll see you March 12th & 13th at the EMU Convocation Center!