October 31, 2021
Strengthening London’s Esports Communities
We are focused on creating inclusive and diverse communities. Lionscreed’s aim has always been to make esports accessible to a wide range of people. From Atari’s 1980 Space Invaders Tournament, to now, 40 years on, esports has grown phenomenally, and the UK represents only a small fraction (less than 10% as of last year) of the global esports market. We’re lucky to see tournaments hosted in London such as Gfinity and Insomnia, but it’s clear we can do more to reach all potential UK esports players — and we would like to see more opportunities for underrepresented groups who want to pursue a career in competitive gaming.
London as a Digital Hub
The UK has a wealth of both grassroots and bigger events, teams, and organisations feeding into it, and really, London represents the heart of it all. Home of larger teams as well as Lionscreed, and hosting venues such as Here East, a digital hub home to educational institutes and businesses and freelancers, London truly is a melting pot of all things innovation, and we believe it holds the key to the development of UK esports.
We, Lionscreed, are proud to be based in London. Our players, coaches, and league operations team all reside and operate from in and around the capital, and we believe that this can be a positive influence on esports in the UK. Our community is made up of players from all backgrounds, but on a deeper level, we pride ourselves on being a diverse community, with players from every demographic and background. We feel that esports should be for everybody, and we believe that London can be the epicentre of this. Throughout our history, we have hosted a number of events–from weekly open play nights, to LAN events, to one-on-one training sessions, to league competitions. In each of these cases, the response from players has been positive.
Our Pact
The London esports communities are in need of some developments. With significant growth, it has become clear that certain parts of these communities are in need of investment. I’m aware that there are many people trying to make something of themselves through esports, but they need some sort of push to make it happen. This is why we are making the following proposals. We will invest in the people and infrastructure of the London area, manifesting the dreams of grassroots organisations, and helping everyone to realise something bigger than just their own work. It’s about working towards a community for everyone to take part in, and making it accessible and fair for everyone.
Lionscreed’s Goal for London’s Esports Communities
Our goal is to continue supporting the rapidly growing esports community in the UK. This includes event organisation, sponsor management, client outreach and creating unique content for our education projects, which are designed to improve public perception of competitive gaming. But ultimately, we‘re passionate about making casual gamers aware of the benefits of esports participation, while also giving players who strive for excellence in competitive gaming opportunities to develop their skills. With this undertaking, we aim to increase the overall esports activity within London. From playing to spectating, from streaming to hosting events, and much more, we will work towards strengthening the infrastructure the UK has in place, and make esports accessible, equitable, and welcoming to every individual, business, and indeed any interested party across the area.
How will we accomplish this?
Esports players live, breathe, and dream the game they play. We believe London has huge potential for Esports, and we want to be a key part of making that happen. To succeed, we need everyone’s help. We’ve made a commitment to support London’s esports communities, and to make the industry accessible for everyone. We want the grassroots organisations we work with to have the support they need, and we want the young people we work with to have access to the careers they deserve.
To make London’s esports communities accessible, we will:
- Invest in the grassroots organisations that make our London esports communities great.
- Build London’s esports infrastructure, providing support for everyone.
- Identify access to employment for esports players.
- Build London’s esports talent.
We will release more information within the coming weeks.
Through this pact, we will Brach out to other areas across the UK as the Pact progresses.
Get involved
If you would like to get involved or contribute to our mission – please contact us [email protected] or DM us via Twitter.
About Lionscreed
Lionscreed are a London born and bred esports team with a desire to create game-changing content and build an engaging community. Founded in 2019 with a hunger for victory, fearless style and the avant-garde, the team has got 11 titles and became one of the first teams to be shown on national television within their first year and aren’t stopping there.
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