The new president of Humber’s Gaming Club, Ethan Sanchez, said he hopes to build on the success of this summer's esports events, including France x Canada 2.0, by bringing more inclusive gaming opportunities to campus.
Humber Polytechnic hosted France x Canada 2.0 this summer, an esports event that was a big part of Toronto Games Week. The event, which promoted inclusive play, featured a Tekken 8 tournament with respected professional players from France and Ontario.
Jessica Powell, community engagement for Humber Esports, said the goal was to promote inclusive gameplay.
“I think events like this benefit Humber outside of just gameplay in the sense that it really does highlight that anyone from anywhere can engage in gaming in a deeper way,” said Powell, who helped coordinate the event.
Data from a report from Naveen Kumar from demandsage.com shows how esports is growing bigger every year around the world.
The global esports market was estimated to be worth $1.38 billion in 2023, with predictions that it will reach $2.89 billion this year. France x Canada has now been held for the second year, and Humber Esports producer Alex Kiiffner would like to see it become an annual event.
“Absolutely, I mean that’s the idea behind it,” Kiiffner said. “We would definitely love to do it again.”
France x Canada 2.0 was co-presented by the Ambassade de France au Canada, Institut Français, Women in Games France and Esport Canada, with Humber Esports handling the behind-the-scenes.
“So not only do you have to coordinate the usual suspects of staffing and production and venue and money, but you’re also working with an arm of the French government,” said Kiiffner on the difficulties of hosting an event like this.
Hosting a tournament with Humber handling on-site production and collaborating with coordinators from another country can be a challenging task. However, the effort can be worth it in the long run.
“Events like these also definitely bring in engagement from separate audiences to Humber Esports,” Powell said.
Looking into the future of Humber Esports, this year’s student gamers can expect Call of Duty, Rocket League, Valorant, League of Legends, Super Smash Bros Ultimate and fighting games like Tekken 8 and Street Fighter to have teams.
“As the new club president of the Humber Gaming Club, I hope to introduce previous events and new ones too,” Sanchez said.
Canadian Collegiate Esports has the potential to reach the level of its American counterparts as Humber Esports continues to expand. So much so that Humber Esports was recently honoured by the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE).
“Our Esports program just won Emerging Program of the Year at the NACE awards, so this definitely gives me some hope that our program will be one that more and more people recognize as the years progress,” Powell said. “I would hope that success for Humber Esports looks like an inclusive, diverse space where everyone is able to flourish.”
