John

F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, once said, “

“eSports

Jamaica is an organisation committed to bringing together persons interested in

the creative, exciting and competitive world of gaming, animation and cosplay

by hosting video game tournaments, cosplay events and providing platforms —

online, social media, and groups — for collaboration, discussion and

engagement,” Graham said when explaining his creation.

In its

six years, eSports Jamaica has been very active, hosting seven video game

tournaments under its BestInJa banner. The past two years have seen things pick

up steam in relation to the overall global push for eSports. In 2018, Graham

was part of two corporate exhibitions, including the Digital Business Screen

Conference held at the University of the West Indies in June of that year. For

2019, he went big when he joined forces with Anime Nerds of Jamaica for

COSPLAY.ANIMATION.GAMING.ESPORTS (C.A.G.E) that was held on August 31 at the

University of Technology Auditorium.

“We

received overwhelming support and saw over 500 patrons turn out to event. The

success of the event was largely due to our title sponsor Pizza Hut Jamaica

taking a chance with us by investing in this niche market and supporting and

guiding us along the way,” Graham said.

So far,

eSports has doled out $500,000 in cash and prizes across the tournaments it has

held, highlighting games such as League of Legends, Fortnite and Apex Legends.

“Our

aim is to bring competitive gaming and the other similar entities to the

forefront of entertainment in Jamaica and the Caribbean,” Graham said.

Writtenby Nichola Beckford