Edulink International Campus partners Phoenix GaminG for exciting eSports action

Competitive gaming (commonly referred to as electronic sports or eSports) has turned into a multimillion dollar sport in the world during the past few years. The scale of some tournaments’ prize pools make international organisations such as the ICC look diminished. 

The group stages of the highest paying tournament, The International 5, which offers a prize of $ 17 million and is organised by American video game development giant Valve, is scheduled to start on 26 July. 

Another example of a massive eSports tournament is last year’s League of Legends World Championship which filled the Sangam Stadium (one of the official venues of the 2002 FIFA World Cup) in Seoul with 40,000 fans. It is reported that there were 32 million spectators from around the world watching the grand finale of 2013’s World Championship. It is said that the League of Legends, along with a few more eSports, will be official titles for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

ESports are frequently stated to be among the most happening and evolving things of this generation. As Sri Lankans, we are also very proud to say that we are not so far behind with this new sensation. Competitive gaming has been happening in Sri Lanka since 2008 and now it has become a hugely favoured hobby or side-sport amongst Sri Lankan youth.

Phoenix GaminG is a professional eSports organisation (referred to in the local gaming community as a clan) which was established in 2008. It was named the overall best clan Sri Lanka by Gamer.LK, the Sri Lankan gaming community for its eSports contribution. Phoenix GaminG is also the first clan in Sri Lanka to join with an international brand such as MSI. They are the hosts of the annual eSports event, GamerFest. 

This year’s edition of GamerFest is currently taking place at the Edulink International Campus (EIC) in Colombo. It consists of all the titles played in Sri Lanka namely: DOTA 2, League of Legends, Call of Duty 4, Counter-Strike Global Offensive, Mortal Kombat X, FIFA ’15, HALO 4, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Need for Speed Most Wanted and TrackMania Nations Forever. 

Edulink is a collaborative campus of the prestigious universities of Greenwich and Northampton in the UK. It offers internal degrees from these and other leading UK universities at the foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, across a range of subjects including International Business, Accounting and Finance and Computer Science. It is fully-owned by Edulink Consultants, a Dubai-based company which has been engaged in higher education since 2004. 

Since its inception, Edulink has elevated the quality of higher education around the world through branch campuses such as Middlesex University, Dubai and Edulink International College, Nairobi.

Edulink has come forward to be a partner of this massive event because of the close relationship the event has to the futuristic academic vision of Edulink, which strives to provide the best UK education to Sri Lankan students and prepare them for the challenges of the future. In realising this vision, Edulink provides state-of-the-art facilities and technology to aid education and personal development within the campus, which enables Edulink graduates to adapt to any modern environment in their future professional careers.

Gamers and gaming enthusiasts from around the country visit and take part in the event. GamerFest strives to create an environment similar to the one present in the international arena with special spectator areas and shoutcasters to enhance the viewers’ experience.  GamerFest seeks to present the gaming skills of Sri Lankans in a highly competitive atmosphere. The winners are awarded exciting prizes and island ranking points offered by Gamer.LK.