The World Championship Quarterfinals Blow the Windy City Away
Being from the suburbs of Chicago is almost like being from the city itself. A short train ride from any of the rainbow colored lines of the “L” train, and you are in the heart of the city. Walking around one of the biggest cities in the United States can be daunting at first if you are not familiar with it. But you can quickly adjust and become a natural Chicagoan. As someone who has lived in the area for eighteen years of my life, I think it is safe to safe I have become an honorary Chicagoan and citizen of the city. Walking into the city this weekend has filled me with immense joy and pride. After I stepped out of the subway tunnels and walked down State St. I saw something that I have never before seen in the city. In big bold letters, 2016 League of Legends World Championship, boldly displayed at the Chicago Theatre.
Chicago has not been a hotbed for esports during its’ history while other parts of the US, and the world, have embraced esports and have grown a competitive scene. Los Angeles, for example, is host to the North American LCS and various other esport events. California fits great with the esport scene because of the tech mecca Silicon Valley being located in California. Along with California, both New York and Atlanta have risen to prominence in the esport scene in the United States. Turner has set up their Eleague in Atlanta, hosting tournaments for different esports and even getting the opportunity to host a Valve sponsored Counter Strike: Global Offensive major. New York is familiar with League of Legends as well, hosting the NA LCS finals at Madison Square Gardens as well as the semifinals of the 2016 LoL World Championship and a CS:GO tournament.
In most aspects, Chicago is held in the same regard as these other cities, but in respects to esports, Chicago has fallen behind. Hosting the quarterfinals of one of the biggest esports events in the world can help change that.
League of Legends is arguably the biggest esport in the scene right now. Growing over the years they have expanded their presence in the world of esports. Traveling all around the world, hosting events in the Seoul Olympic Arena, Madison Square Gardens, and many more, Riot has become a juggernaut at producing events. The League of Legends World Championship has grown to compete against the Dota International and other big esports tournaments in terms of size and quality. From the amazing production value to fan experience, Riot has made great strides in improving the quality of esport events to meet those of traditional sports tournaments.
The first day of the quarterfinal stage started off with Dash running down the aisles welcoming fans and spectators to the Windy City and the Chicago Theatre. A video was shown next, showcasing some of the landmarks located in Chicago, and players from the quarterfinal teams interacting with the city. The merging of the city and the game went well because Chicago has many historic and memorable locations that fit well with certain narratives going on in the World Championship.
The first series of the weekend was a match-up between Cloud9 and Samsung Galaxy. When announced on the stage, the Chicago crowd cheered loudly for the North American team. They treated them like the Bulls or the Bears, they thought of Cloud9 as the hometown team. In typical Chicago fashion, the fans booed the opposing team; in this case that was Samsung Galaxy. This created a debate in the community whether it was the right thing to do. Some arguing it is disrespectful and shows poor sportsmanship, while the other side argued it was a Chicago sports tradition and it is natural to boo the opposing team. The series ended very quickly as Samsung demolished Cloud9 in a quick 3–0 victory.
As I was taking the train the next day to the theatre, I was asked a couple of times what the large line in front of the Chicago Theatre was all about. I explained that is was a gaming event for the World Championship. Most people were receptive of the idea and thought it was interesting. Overall it seemed a positive reaction.. This time no western teams were featured in the series as the Korean team SK-Telecom played Royal Never Give Up from China. SKT were the large favorites as they have won the World Championship twice before and are on the right path to winning a third one. RNG were able to win the first game but SKT quickly won three in a row to advance to the semifinals.
The third day was much of a mirror of the second day. Great weather, the crowd was excited, and a Korean team took on a Chinese team. This time it was the Rox Tigers facing off against Edward Gaming. The Tigers won the series in dominant fashion, but dropped a game when they got too confident, just like when Samsung White dropped a game against Team Solo Mid two years ago in the quarterfinals. There was only one more day of the quarterfinal stage but it would be a much-anticipated one.
Before the games started on Sunday, I was able to take a tour of the Chicago Theatre and I learned facts about it that I had not know previously despite my many years of living near Chicago. I took the tour with a group of high school students from Chicago, and it was thrilling to watch their reactions to see the stage up close. It bodes well for the future of esports and esports in Chicago if there are more groups of children like the ones I went on the tour with. It allows for greater expansion of the esports scene in Chicago in future years and the growth of esports as a whole.
The fourth day featured a meeting between the two remaining western teams. H2K Gaming took on the Russian team Albus Nox Luna. Albus Nox had become the Cinderella story of the tournament being the first Wildcard team to make it past the group stage of the World Championship. It had never been done before and ANX did it in a group that featured a tournament favorite, Rox Tigers, the first seeded European team, G2, and the team that finished second at the Mid Season Invitational, Counter-Logic Gaming. Making it out of groups earned them a good following, but their personalities also shined in their time at the World Championships. Likkrit was the name everyone knew by the start of the knockout stage because of his amazing interviews with Sjokz.
Despite being a much-hyped series and the only remaining hope for a full five game series in the quarterfinals, Albux Nox were systematically beaten by H2K. H2K was the more prepared team and were able to pinpoint the Russian team’s weaknesses while also playing to their own strengths. Although they were beaten in a sweep by H2K, Alubs Nox remained humble and the players were happy with their journey at Worlds. Though they enjoyed their time at the quarterfinals, they wish they could have achieved more. Despite being the most successful wildcard team, they wanted more.
As fans filtered out of the Chicago Theatre for the final time, a feeling of pride and thankfulness washed over me. I was proud that Chicago was deemed fit enough to host this stage of the tournament and I was thankful Riot decided to give Chicago this opportunity to host part of the World Championships. This was the first step in making Chicago a top esports location.
There are a few barriers to entry in growing an esports scene in Chicago. The first big one is a proper venue to host tournaments at. Typically, tournaments will be hosted in basketball arenas in the United States. Chicago has the United Arena, which is located outside of the city. This provides some issues, as it is tougher to get to the arena if the teams are staying inside the city itself. Also the stadium hosts both the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago Blackhawks and as both basketball and hockey season starts, the arena is typically booked most days. This would make it difficult to host a four-day event.
The baseball stadiums could prove to be good hosts but if either of the teams are in the playoffs it would not be possible to host a Worlds stage there. Soldier Field may also be a good stadium, but Worlds takes place at the same time as the NFL season that makes it tough to host the games there as well. That leaves theaters, which are not well set up to host events like these as they do not have the biggest seating arrangement, no set place for broadcasting and casters, and not many sufficient rooms for teams and press.
There have been rumors that an esport arena may be built somewhere in Chicago. This would be a major advancement for the esports scene in Chicago because it would provide that sufficient venue to host tournaments. Also, it would help compliment the ELegaue studio that Turner built and hopefully show other investors that venues like these can be successful and more would be built around the country.
Another barrier is that although Chicago is known as one of the major cities in the United States, it has not been able to keep pace with other large cities. Chicago maintains its reputation from decades past and has survived because of how prosperous the city was. Chicago is not known as a tech capital of the world and esports tournaments and leagues drift towards those tech focused cities. Another factor that may hold the city of Chicago back is its history and reputation of violence. Organizers may not feel safe hosting a tournament or league in the city.
Though there are a few things holding the esports scene back in Chicago, there are some advantages. One big advantage is the presence of Robert Morris University in the city. RMU was the first college to create an esports program and give out scholarships to play. This attracts young talent to the city and creates a center for the growth of collegiate esports.
Chicago has the potential to become a host to multiple esport tournaments and leagues. They can match the growth of New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta if they can move past the few barriers of no sufficient venues, Chicago’s violent reputation, and its growth as a city. Along the way, Chicago will be helped by Robert Morris University and its location in the middle of the United States.
Riot always does a great job creating an exciting atmosphere for the fans at the World Championship. This year was no different as Chicago provided a great backdrop for the quarterfinal stage. Though it was a unique venue to host a tournament in, Riot found a way to make it work and the fans did a great job to strengthen that atmosphere. Those four days were crucial for the growth of esports in Chicago and has set a benchmark for all other tournaments hosted in the Windy City.
