When COVID-19 forced the Overwatch League online, league officials needed a way to connect Asia and North America for the handful of international tournaments scheduled throughout the season. That’s when Kevin Nguyen and Sky Kauweloa, heads of the esports program at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa got the call: the Overwatch League wanted to host its tournament games on campus.
Originally dubbed ‘Project Aloha’, the partnership let the league host major tournaments like the May Melee from their facility on Mānoa island while reducing latency for participating teams. Not only that, but it gave the visiting players a chance to enjoy the scenic hills, pristine beaches and cool weather after dealing with pandemic conditions for more than a year. But more than anything else, the partnership gave students first-hand experience in the esports world. It’s the first program of its kind.
slime woke up on time today zzzz
+ shy gangnamjin#BitsOfMayhem #MayhemInHawaii pic.twitter.com/TfvWII3xOK— swingchip (@swingchip930) May 5, 2021
Nguyen, a student with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and UH Esports Program Assistant, and Kauweloa, head of the UH Esports Academic Task Force and looking for his PhD in Communications and Information Science, said they were ecstatic when they got the call from Activision Blizzard.
Nguyen and Kauweloa are two key figures in the esports community for the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. As avid fans with a large ocean separating themselves from live events, hosting one was a dream scenario.
“We are not central players in global esports. But with Overwatch’s partnership, we have started to question that”, Nguyen stated, “And that’s not to say that we don’t have issues, we still have ping issues here. But the fact that Overwatch was able to come to Hawaii and say ‘90 milliseconds is good for us’? That flipped the script for us.”
Nguyen said this opportunity has made him reexamine what else is possible in the future and that he couldn’t be happier about how their students would be able to say they helped with production for the Overwatch League.
Kauweloa also mentioned how the university has received emails from students in California, Florida, Texas and New York asking about helping with these Overwatch League tournaments. Overwatch League officials like senior manager Adam Mierzejewski and Florida Mayhem manager Jade “Swingchip” Kim gave hour-long lessons and important advice to the students.
