Eagle Valley gamers have a new safe space to play, compete in esports tournaments

If you Google what the fastest-growing sports are, you’ll find a number of top-10 lists listing pickleball, mixed martial arts, stand-up paddleboarding, and a myriad of other sports. But near the top — if not the top — of each of those lists is one you might not expect: esports.

The sport — which is essentially video games played competitively — was recently valued at $1.39 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow 16.7% each year to 2030. Locally, Eagle Valley High School and Colorado Mountain College both have esports teams.

So, when Mountain Recreation was weighing its options for expanding what it offers, it’s no surprise esports rose to the top of its list.

Brad Johnson, the Edwards facility supervisor, said the sport started coming on his radar around three years ago as other rec districts began to enter the world of esports. From there, Mountain Recreation began surveying the community’s interest in bringing the offering to the rec district. And, according to Johnson, they saw a lot of interest from the community, but especially from kids.

“It’s one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. It’s actually the No. 2 most-watched sport in the United States right now, behind NFL football, which blows my mind,” Johnson said.

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So, toward the end of last year, the district began budgeting and planning for a way to bring esports to the local community. And on June 2, Mountain Rec opened its first esports lounge at the Edwards Field House with a “FIFA 23” tournament.

Mountain Rec split an underutilized fitness room in Edwards into both this esports lounge and a community room for various uses, Johnson said.

The lounge has four large TVs fitted with Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X and three Nintendo Switch gaming systems. Currently, it has only a few games available including “Fortnite,” “Rocket League,” “Super Smash Bros,” and “FIFA 23.”

Through the summer, the rec district will host a number of tournaments and summer camps to support individuals wanting to learn a game, improve their skills and make friends. Additionally, community members can rent out the space to host birthday parties on Friday nights. The facility also expects to have some drop-in hours for kids to use the space.  

Johnson noted that the summer camps also offer opportunities for kids to get outside, get moving and use the facility’s other amenities. Plus, they’re offered in the morning, so kids can also participate in afternoon sports camps.

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Beyond the rising popularity of esports, the new space offers a unique opportunity to serve local youth.

“These kids are playing these games at home, so to us, we want to bring them into these safe spaces, safe spots to play and socialize with other kids,” Johnson said.

“We really want to turn all of our facilities into community centers where kids can do anything that they’re interested in — in that safe space. This esports lounge fits within that because really it’s getting those kids out of their homes and get them into a facility where they can make new friends and socialize and do it in a safe and controlled environment.”

While Mountain Recreation may be known for more “traditional sports,” Johnson acknowledged that esports offer an alternative that, in some ways, is more inclusive than some traditional sports.

“Children that may not be able to physically or even mentally play a sport or do different types of activities, (esports is) very open for kids with mental and physical disabilities,” Johnson said.

During the first summer, Mountain Recreation is starting small with its first esports lounge. However, the possibilities for the future are endless — from partnering with other organizations such as Eagle Valley High School, which has its own esports team, or YouthPower365. It also could include drop-in hours to use the space, additional gaming systems and games.

“This first year, we’re plugging in and seeing what works. Then, we’ll find out what doesn’t work and we’ll move on from that, and utilize and really focus on the gaming and the types of games and the programs that do work for us,” Johnson said.

To learn more about the esports lounge or the camps and tournaments, visit MountainRec.org/esports.