Esports demo offered ahead of Pittsburgh video game tournament

Paul Guggenheimer
Friday, April 19, 2019 9:50 a.m. | Friday, April 19, 2019 9:50 a.m.

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Philadelphia Fusion fans react as the London Spitfire takes the lead during the Overwatch League Grand Finals competition at Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Most professional esports are devoid of female players at their highest levels, even though 45 percent of U.S. gamers are women or girls.

Organizers of Pittsburgh’s first esports competition are looking to educate potential fans.

The Pittsburgh Knights, Point Park University’s Rowland School of Business, and AbleGamers are offering a demonstration April 23 of how the esports competition will work for next month’s Steel City Showdown at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.

The demo will take place at the Playhouse. Matt Roche, director of business development for Pittsburgh’s professional esports franchise, the Knights, will answer questions as two players compete in a game of Super Smash Bros. Roche will talk about how esports events work, the rules and strategy.

Steve Tanzilli, dean of the Rowland School of Business, will discuss the goal of the of the event and partnerships with the Knights, Pittsburgh Penguins and Cleveland Cavaliers. And Steve Spohn, chief operating officer of AbleGamers, a nonprofit group dedicated to improving accessibility to video games, will talk about how people with disabilities can compete in the Steel City Showdown.

The event is open to fans, who will be able to purchase tickets at the Playhouse Box Office with no additional fees for the Showdown on May 10-12.