Dundee Is About To Host The Largest Esports Event In The Country
44 esports teams competing against each other with all roads leading to the DCA, it’s the SEL4 finals in Dundee, the largest esports event in the country.
Dundee is about to host the largest esports event in the country. Here’s the low down on everything about the event which is tipped to be start of Dundee’s ever growing esports journey.
I’ve spoke time and time again about my passion for Dundee’s gaming industry and it is one that I am proud of. With Dundee being ‘the gaming capital of Europe’, it is no surprised that the city is about to make its next steps into newer territory.
The journey towards Dundee becoming a hub of esports will start from next month when the city hosts the largest esports competition event in Scotland.
The finals of the Scottish Esports League Series 4 (SEL4 for short) will be hosted at the Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) from November 18 to 21, these dates will see the city host the tournament for the first time. The tournament is managed by Esports Scotland and spearheaded by a team of passionate gamers who want to see the industry succeed in the country.
It was announced earlier this month that Dundee Culture had agreed a partnership with Esports Scotland. Dundee Culture will be providing updates and news at the event on it’s social media platforms as well as producing new content to promote the event.
What is the Scottish Esports League and SEL4?
The Scottish Esports League is the largest esports competition in Scotland which is managed by Esports Scotland and has been going since 2018. Three events have been hosted in cities across Scotland and their latest event is about to be held in Dundee: SEL4. This will be the largest ever esports event held in Scotland.
SEL4 is the fourth edition of the Scottish Esports League which has been going since the end of September where the online group stage commenced. 44 teams took part and only 10 spots are available for the finals in five games: Rocket League, Counter Strike Global Offensive, Rainbow Six Siege, League of Legends and Valorant.
One of the recently announced additions at the event is Call of Duty Esports Scotland Cup which is standalone from SEL4 but will be held on the day of the grand finals. This was after Esports Scotland reached an agreement with Blizzard to host the event during SEL4.
Enhancing Scotland’s digital sector
SEL4 will be one of a series of use case trials within the Tay Cities Region Deal 5G project. The 5G technology which will be used at the event, will support the live broadcast powered by Dundee City Council’s 5G testbed in collaboration with Scottish Futures Trust and Abertay University, to showcase the most exhilarating moments as the gamers vie for a share of the record-breaking £11,000 prize pot.
As one of the event’s ‘Easter eggs’, a specifically designed ‘skills showcase’ section of the venue will accentuate career prospects within the multi-billion-pound industry. Amongst the partners within the area will be drivers of the ‘S5GConnect Dundee’ programme — created to ensure 5G technologies help drive growth and increase opportunities for employment, innovation and investment in the wider Tay Cities region.
“It’s been great to work with Esports Scotland to help them to become the first user of Dundee City Council’s 5G testbed that SFT has developed and delivered in collaboration with the council. I look forward to supporting the gamers throughout the event and wish everyone the best of luck on the day.” — Derek Graham, Digital Infrastructure Programme Director at Scottish Futures Trust,
Attendees will have the opportunity to discover more about Scotland’s growing Esports industry from a number of stakeholders including Dundee City Council, Scotland 5G Centre, Scottish Futures Trust, Dundee and Angus College, University of Dundee and Abertay University; the first British university to offer a degree in gaming and Europe’s top ranked institution for games education.
Building a new industry for Dundee
With Dundee being a hub of gaming in Europe, with Grand Theft Auto, Lemmings and the console editions of Minecraft hailing from Dundee, it is clearly a great opportunity for the city to dip its toes in Esports which is a growing popular industry which relates to video games.
“The Scottish Esports League Season 4 will help to cement Dundee’s place on the map as a key centre for competitive gaming, and I am sure that its success will make it the first of many such events hosted in the city.”
— Mark Flynn, Convener of Dundee City Council’s City Development Committee
With Dundee hosting the largest esports event in the country, it brings the opportunity to showcase how Dundee can build to become one of the greatest places in the world to experience esports.
This all comes at a time when the city will soon potentially be home to the UK’s first bespoke esports arena which is expected to be built by 2024 in the heart of Dundee’s waterfront.
“Esports represent a massive opportunity for Dundee and Scotland and we are hugely excited to be bringing our academic expertise in video games education to this important sector, and to be partners in the Dundee Esports Arena project. Our plans to offer new programmes and qualifications linked to Esports are progressing well and we are confident that the success currently enjoyed by our games design graduates can be replicated as the industry continues to grow.”
— Professor Gregor White, Dean of Abertay University’s School of Design and Informatics
The SEL4 championship final takes place at the Dundee Contemporary Arts from 18–21 November, book your place now here: SEL4 | Esports Scotland
